Cellar Door
by Little Cinch
Summary: Inspired by the Tumblr prompt for 'beautiful words'. Pure fluff-smut. Daryl brings Carol on a run gone wrong. The adventure continues...
1. Chapter 1

**I saw that there was a Tumblr prompt for 'beautiful words'. And everyone knows that the most beautiful words in the English language are 'cellar door'. And even though the cellar door is nearly irrelevant to the story, it gave me an excuse to write some fluff-smut since my other story is getting goddamn depressing to write. So here it is.**

**Disclaimer: The Walking Dead does not belong to me in any way, shape, or form. **

**A/N: Edited to make a minor change that I can't believe I'm dumb enough NOT to have done in the first place. :P**

* * *

It was supposed to have been a simple run out to pick up some formula and diapers for Judith. Last week, they'd made a run to a little town west of the prison. After they were full up and headed home, they'd driven past a day care and made note of it so they could come back later.

So today, Daryl decided to make the run for baby supplies and insisted Carol be his backup. He found her in the library, figuring out the kitchen and laundry work rotations. Leaning on the door frame, he watched her for a while. He liked watching her when she didn't know he was doing it and took every opportunity to do so, though those opportunities were far more limited now that the prison population had grown so dramatically.

She had one hand at her head as she worked, fingers combing through her silver hair and tugging on the curls at the back of her neck. There was a little line between her eyebrows as she concentrated, and her nose would sometimes scrunch up when she didn't like the way something worked out. Occasionally she grumbled to herself or sucked on her lower lip, giving him an excuse to focus on her mouth. Whenever he caught a glimpse of her tongue flicking out to wet her lip, his dick would twitch in response. He knew it was a little pervy and it made him feel a bit guilty watching her like that, but he liked it. And hell, the pervy part was kinda what made it so hot. She'd probably kick his ass if she ever caught him. He thought that was kinda hot, too.

Before he got _too_ into watching her, he knocked at the door frame. She glanced up and smiled when she saw him, waving him over.

"Hey," he said. "What'cha doin'?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "I'm trying to rearrange the schedules for the next couple weeks. Honey fell hauling water yesterday and sprained her knee. Dr. S. says she can't be on her feet for a while."

Daryl eyed her suspiciously. "Honey?"

"Honey McCarty. From Decatur?"

"They's someone here actually named Honey?" He fought to keep his face under control. "What else? We got a Barbie and a FiFi, too?"

She gave him a withering look. "Be nice. Anyway, what'd you need? Please tell me you're here to rescue me from the never ending scheduling tedium."

"Actually, yeah, I guess. Wanted to know if you wanna go on a run today."

"Me? Really?"

"Gotta day care to hit up for stuff for Asskicker – should be quick. Thought you might wanna get outta here for a bit," he said, ending it almost as a question.

She broke into a grin that lit up her face and set his insides humming. She flipped the pencil she'd been using over her shoulder, letting it clatter to the floor.

"_Gawd_, yes!" She jumped up from her chair and gave him a peck on the cheek, leaving his skin tingling. "My hero!"

She swept out of the library, calling out over her shoulder, "I'm going to get someone to take my shift in the kitchen then grab some stuff. Anything in particular I need?"

He firmly told his body to settle the hell down and followed her out the door. "Naw. Just bring your weapons. I got the rest. Meet you in the courtyard!"

"'Kay!" Her voice floated back to him from around at least one corner from where she'd run ahead. He smiled to himself at her enthusiasm, looking forward to the trip.

* * *

He would have liked to take the bike. About the only thing he missed about that miserable fucking winter after they were run off the Greene farm was riding every day with Carol sitting snug behind him on the bike. Even though they didn't always get along then, the bike always felt lonely when she wasn't there with him. Sometimes he wished he had balls enough to just up and kiss her or something, but since he didn't (Merle was always right, goddammit), he took what he could get. But since this was a supply run, he couldn't justify taking the bike since they needed to be able to bring back everything they could find. So he prepped the smaller pickup – the older one with the bench seat.

He watched her come barreling out of C-Block, pack in hand, knife and pistol at her belt. She beamed at him as she threw her pack in the back and climbed into the truck. She was fucking gorgeous when she smiled like that, eyes sparkling at him like he was something fucking special. Those smiles were treasures, and he filed this one away with all the others she'd ever flashed his way, to be taken out and savored when he was alone on late night watches.

They rolled the truck down to the gates and waved at Sasha and Tyreese on their way through. The town they were headed for wasn't far – maybe half an hour's drive or so. Daryl settled in to driving, keeping a close eye on the road to avoid walkers, wrecks, and crumbling asphalt. Carol was surprisingly quiet, but she watched the scenery roll past with shining eyes and a soft smile, clearly enjoying getting out of the prison for a bit.

Despite the quiet, it felt like no time at all had passed before they rolled to a stop in front of the day care. There was nothing moving on the street, living or dead. He outlined the way he wanted to do the sweep.

"We'll go in together – guns are a last resort, but don't be afraid to use it if you gotta. Stay at my back and watch our six until we get in. We'll clear the whole place, then load up. Hopefully we'll be in and out real quick. You good?"

She nodded, hand on her knife, face serious.

He left the truck first and went to the passenger side, then she slipped out to join him. They grabbed the empty packs from the back and made their way to the door of the day care, weapons out and ready. They moved back to back, close enough that their bodies touched. He frowned a little bit as they crept forward, wondering if this had been such a great idea after all. Her warmth at his back was distracting – he'd have to be careful to stay focused on the job.

The front door was slightly ajar, which was probably not a good sign. He pushed it open carefully and flicked on his flashlight. They moved inside the building slowly, closing the door behind them. Moving room to room, they cleared the building. There were two walkers in the main room, but they were old ones, easily taken out, and another in the kitchen. Once they were sure there weren't any others and no open doors in the back to let in surprises, they grabbed their packs and started rummaging, throwing in anything they thought they could use. Formula and diapers were the first priority, but they also found bottles, nipples, clothes, teething gel, wipes, rash ointment, and toys. As each pack was filled, they left it by the front door. When they had all they could carry, they hefted the bags and got ready to return to the truck.

Daryl stepped out the door first, noting that there were several walkers now drifting around the pickup, apparently drawn by the sound of the engine when they'd first arrived. He beckoned Carol to follow him, pointing out the danger ahead, and reminding her to keep an eye behind them. They crept forward, Daryl gradually clearing out the threat, one bolt at a time. He felt a poke in his low back and turned his head enough to see Carol pointing back to a couple of walkers stumbling around from behind the day care. They were far enough back that he decided to ignore them and keep moving toward their vehicle. When the last walker was down and the last bolt retrieved, they threw their bounty into the back of the truck and jumped into the cab.

Carol turned to him and smiled after they turned around and headed back toward home.

"Thanks for asking me to come along today. I really needed the break," she said.

He tipped a half smile her way and nodded, warmth spreading in his chest. It had been more for his own benefit than for hers, but he wouldn't point that out.

A few miles down the road, they rounded a sharp corner around a hill. Daryl swore and slammed on the brakes. He heard Carol suck in a breath as she white-knuckled the Jesus handle above the door and put a hand on the dash to brace herself. There was a herd wandering on the road – maybe fifty or so walkers about a quarter mile up ahead. He slapped the truck in reverse and backed up until they were hidden from view behind the hill. The engine wavered as he drove it back, making him glare at the dash.

Once they were out of sight, he stopped, leaving the motor running.

"Should be a map in the glove box," he said, pointing. "See if we can't find another route."

She dug around until she found it, unfolding it and putting it on the seat between them. She pointed to the small town they had just left and raised her eyebrows at him questioningly. He nodded, so she let her finger trail across the lines on the map, looking for an alternative. She frowned and shook her head.

"This is the only direct way. We could go back, but we'll have to circle around at least 30 miles out of our way or more."

He pointed at the shortest of the alternate routes. "That one's blocked. Semi jack knifed and turned over. And that one's got a bridge down. That leaves us at least 50 miles added to the trip."

She frowned at that and said, "Maybe we can wait them out? They weren't here an hour ago. Maybe they'll be gone soon. Seems like a waste of gas to go around if we can avoid it."

He nodded, chewing his lip. Putting the truck in gear, he eased it forward. "Let's take a look and see if they's goin' anywhere."

They leaned forward in their seats, trying to get a look as the truck rolled around the corner. Just as the herd came into view, he stopped them again. The herd as a whole wasn't leaving the road, and unfortunately, some of the ones closest to them had heard them approach the first time and were already moving curiously in their direction.

"Shit. Suppose we can try just driving through them, but I dunno how that'll work out." He popped the truck back into reverse and eased back again.

The engine wavered again and the dash lights dimmed.

"Ah, fuck."

Then the engine quit entirely and they rolled quietly to a stop. He tried to start it again, but there was nothing.

"Goddammit!" he shouted, pounding his palms on the steering wheel. He turned to Carol, who was looking wide-eyed at him. "We gotta get the fuck outta here. Grab what you can – survival supplies and weapons first. We come back for Asskicker's stuff later."

They jumped out of the truck, grabbing their basic packs and all weapons, including the truck's tire iron. He grabbed her sleeve and tugged, leading her into the woods just as the first of the walkers came into view around the corner.

Pausing only to make sure she stayed with him, Daryl moved through the woods at a ground-eating lope. There were anywhere from a few to way-too-fucking-many walkers following them, and he didn't dare stop long enough to find out which. They needed to find shelter, and they needed it fast. He was used to running around in the woods, but Carol wasn't. They had to find something before she ran out of gas.

He caught a glimpse of something through the trees and changed direction. They burst into a partly overgrown clearing. A small farm had been there, but from the looks of the farmhouse, it had been abandoned long before the Turn. He ran around the side, looking for the door, dragging Carol along behind him.

"Fucking shit, shit-fuckity FUCK!" As soon as he rounded the corner it was clear they were in trouble. There wasn't a building here anymore, so much as a collection of collapsed walls.

He threw a glance toward the trees they'd come from. Though he couldn't see them, he could hear walkers coming their way. Carol grabbed his wrist and pointed to the crumbled farmhouse wall. Between heaving breaths, she gasped out, "Cellar door!"

Right in that moment, those were the most beautiful words he'd ever heard. They ran for the entrance – a little wooden double door jutting at a flat angle from the side of the house. Daryl grabbed the handles and pulled. Thankfully, the doors opened, swinging stiffly up and out, revealing the creaky looking steps leading downward. He all but shoved Carol down the steps and followed immediately after, digging in his pack for his flashlight. He pulled the doors closed and shoved the crossbar into its brackets to lock them in, hoping like hell that it would hold.

He brought his crossbow to his shoulder, backing up to stand next to Carol, waiting to see if the walkers would find them. They stood in tense silence for several minutes, listening carefully for any sounds coming from outside and trying not to gasp for breath. They could hear a few shuffling steps and some groaning, but it seemed the walkers had lost them. At least, nothing threw itself scratching and biting on the cellar door.

Eventually they relaxed a little, though they kept silent. Who knew how many walkers might be wandering nearby? Carol sheathed her knife and dropped her pack to the ground. She plunked herself next to it and fished out a water bottle. She offered it to him first with eyebrows raised, then opened it and took a drink when he shook his head. Daryl put his pack next to hers but slung his crossbow over his shoulder in its place. Flashlight in hand, he prowled the little room. It was decent sized for a root cellar, but the ceiling beams were low enough he felt like crouching even though it was technically high enough he didn't have to. Hooks lined the beams at the back of the room, though nothing hung there now. There were shelves lining almost the entire room, a few jars and bottles still scattered here and there. One section was divided into cubbyholes, some of them still filled. A sturdy table was near the back, holding a variety of beat up jars and lids, baskets, burlap, and twine. A couple of wooden fruit crates were stacked next to it. Just inside the door on a hook, there was a desiccated garlic braid. He was pretty sure if he touched it, it would disintegrate.

Finishing his short tour, he pulled his crossbow from his shoulder and sat next to Carol on the earthen floor, pleased to note it was cool but not damp. He took the water bottle this time and took a swig. Safe for the moment, they sat, leaning against the fruit crates and listening for the faint shuffles and moans above them.

"You gonna be OK in here?" he whispered, concerned at how she would fare in the small, underground space.

She shrugged. "It'll be all right. Not my favorite, but it's not tiny and the door's right there, so I'm good."

Daryl leaned his head back against the stack of crates and tipped it to the side enough to look at her in the glow from the flashlight. He sighed. This really wasn't how he'd meant the day to turn out. He'd just wanted to spend some time with Carol and give her a chance to get out of the prison for a while, and now they were stuck in a hole hiding from walkers. Well done, genius. He supposed an apology was probably in order.

"Sorry 'bout this. Didn't expect things to be goin' sideways."

She looked up from where she'd been picking at a loose thread on her sleeve and smiled a little. "Not how I would have chosen for it to go, but it's not so bad."

He huffed. "Could certainly be better than bein' stuck in a hole in the ground."

"True," she conceded, "but at least I'm stuck with you."

Daryl's mouth went suddenly dry. He had no idea what to say to that. Clearing his throat, he pulled out the first thing his brain latched onto. "Hell of a first date."

He clamped his mouth shut and felt his face burn with embarrassment. Of anything he could have said, why the fuck did he say that?

But his self-flagellation was interrupted by a burst of laughter from her. She clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle the sound, but her eyes were dancing as she looked at him over her fingers. When she had control over her giggles, she dropped her hands away, still smiling wickedly.

"So is this some screwed up, post-apocalyptic version of _parking_? Was that the equivalent of 'running out of gas'?" She eyed him suspiciously. "You didn't set the car trouble up on purpose, did you? 'Cuz you should know I don't usually put out on the first date."

He'd thought his face was burning before, but now his whole body was on fire in his mortification. "No! Shit, no! Jesus, truck's old! It's the fuckin' alternator or voltage regulator – I dunno, something electrical. I wouldn't...I'd never-"

"Daryl, I'm just teasing!" She put a hand on his arm to calm him, but it did no such thing.

He flinched out from under her touch and turned to face her directly. "I would never, _ever_ deliberately put you in danger."

Her grin faded. "I know that. I didn't really think you did – I was just giving you a hard time. I'm sorry."

He looked away and nodded. "Sorry."

They sat in silence for a while, leaving Daryl feeling awkward. He chewed the inside of his cheek. He'd overreacted. This whole day he'd gone out of his way to get some time alone with Carol. So when she suggested he'd sabotaged the car to _get some time alone with her._..well, it struck a nerve. A nerve directly attached to his guilty conscience, he supposed.

"Haven't heard anything from upstairs in a while," she offered softly, changing the subject.

"We should hang tight for another hour at least. Give 'em plenty of time to wander off." He paused, deciding whether he would accept the change of subject or not.

Fuck it.

"Look...I know you were teasin'. I just- This whole trip _was_ just so I could get some time with you, but I sure as hell didn't fuck with the truck." He chanced a glance over to her. "It's just, I ain't seen you in a while. Not really. I miss you."

Her eyes were wide and dark in the dim light. "You do?"

He shrugged one shoulder and nodded.

She smiled softly. "I miss you, too. There's just too damn many people at the prison these days. Can't get a thought to myself anymore."

After a moment, she inched closer to him and leaned her shoulder against his. He felt her warmth seeping through the sleeve of her shirt. It spread through him, waking up nerve endings everywhere in his body.

"I'm glad you brought me along today. I know this isn't exactly how you planned things, but it doesn't matter. It's nice."

"Yeah." Eloquence wasn't his thing today.

They were quiet for a bit, but this time it was a comfortable silence. Daryl always appreciated that she didn't pressure him to fill every damn second with chatter or pester him with questions. It was OK just to be together.

She tipped her head to rest it on his shoulder, and his heart beat a little faster.

"Tired?"

"Not really," she replied. He could hear the smile in her voice, even though he couldn't see her face. "You're just comfy."

Shit fire. Why was it that every time Carol got close to him, he got nervous and sweaty as a horndog teenager? The fluttering in his belly pissed him off. He knew he should take advantage of the opening she'd given him and make a move, but Merle's voice in his head constantly reminded him what a pansy he was, and that he'd never measure up when it came to the ladies. He _really_ wished Merle would shut up.

Fuck it. Here goes nothin'.

The butterflies in his gut were on speed or something, judging by the wild increase in flutters as he shifted his weight enough to free his arm and wrap it around her shoulders, pulling her in close to his side. Heat crept up his neck and his heart pounded while he waited to see what would happen next.

But all she did was turn and tuck herself closer under his arm, nestling her head in the hollow of his shoulder. She hummed a little sigh as she settled in. Her hand came to rest on his ribs, and he wondered if she could feel his heart racing. After a moment had passed and nothing bad had happened, he relaxed a little bit, letting his thumb stroke her shoulder. He closed his eyes and just enjoyed the incredible feel of her against him. He tried to memorize every detail – the warm smell of her, the rise and fall of her chest against him, and the tingling of every square inch of skin making contact with her. He brought his other hand to his chest to curl his fingers around hers. She gave them a squeeze.

He realized his head had been dipping lower and lower toward her when her hair tickled his nose. He smoothed her hair down, then rested his cheek against the top of her head. She smelled amazing – not perfumy or flowery like women always did before the Turn. She just smelled like Carol. Nothing else was quite the same.

"Daryl?"

"Mmm?"

"This is nice," she said.

"Still comfy then?"

"Yeah. I like it." Her voice was thick and sleepy, and it went straight to his groin. She liked this.

"Maybe we should do it more often, then," he said, testing the waters. "Assuming we ever get two seconds to ourselves back home."

He felt more than heard her laugh. She lifted her head, turning her big blue eyes on him, the look on her face stopping his heart outright.

"What exactly _are_ we doing?"

"Got no idea. I'm wingin' it."

She laughed again. He loved her laugh. He loved to see her smile.

Carefully, he brought his hand up and brushed his fingertips along her cheek, hoping she wouldn't notice how shaky he was. But when his fingers touched her skin, she pulled in a breath and closed her eyes, leaning into his touch, clearly unconcerned with his nerves.

He cleared his throat, aiming for steady and sure. "Since we ain't ever gonna get time at home, maybe we outta take advantage of bein' stuck in here."

She opened her eyes again, and the heat behind them brought his already interested cock to full attention. "Maybe we should. Kiss me?"

He swallowed hard. What had he got himself in for? His heart was thumping so hard he thought he might have a heart attack. But what the hell, right? He slipped his hand to the back of her neck. This was it. She wanted him to kiss her. Why the fuck would she want to be kissed by a dirty damn hillbilly like him? Aw, shut up, Merle. Come on, idiot. Don't fuck this up. Don't fuck this up. Don't fuck this up.

He touched his lips gently to hers, a small sample kiss to see if she'd push him away and run screaming for the hills. Her mouth was soft and sweet against his. Carefully, he reached out to taste her with his tongue. She made a little noise that set his insides on fire and she leaned into him, tipping her head back and parting her lips to let him in. He explored her mouth, licking and teasing her, but cautiously – holding himself back just a bit. He pulled away a little, checking her reaction, making sure this was still OK.

As he eased back, she leaned forward with her eyes closed, chasing his mouth. When she didn't find him where she expected, she opened her eyes with a worried little frown. Her cheeks were pink and she was taking quick, sharp breaths. The hand on his chest gripped his vest and dragged him back toward her. Her eyes stayed on his mouth, and she made a little whimpering sound.

"Don't stop," she said, her voice wavering just a little.

Suddenly he realized she actually wanted him. Maybe even as much as he wanted her. It was a bit of a shock, but it gave him enough confidence to kick Merle's voice to the curb and put his full attention into this.

He moved his arm from her shoulder to her waist and shifted her so she sat straddling him, freeing their hands to explore. He groaned as the movement caused her to rub up against his dick. Holy Christ, he didn't know if he could handle having her on his lap like that – and this was with all their damn clothes on. He didn't know how far this was going to go, but he hoped like hell he could hang on for the whole thing.

She combed her fingers into his hair and all but attacked his mouth with hers, kissing and licking him. Sucking his lower lip into her mouth. Biting at him. All the while she was rocking against him in a way that would make him blush if his blood wasn't already pooled elsewhere. Jesus, he couldn't even think. All he could do was hold on tight and try to give as good as he got.

His hands roamed her body, mapping and memorizing every curve, every plane. She was slim and angular, but soft in all the right places. He gripped her thighs, her ass. Sliding his hands under the edge of her shirt, he skimmed his fingers along the skin of her belly, making her groan at the contact. He pushed higher until he cupped her breasts through her bra, squeezing and kneading. They were glorious breasts – he didn't need to see them to know that. His thumbs rubbed over the nipples that were pushing against the material covering them. She let out a little cry and released his mouth, throwing her head back and pushing her chest into his hands. Grabbing the hem of her shirt, she stripped it off like it was on fire. He tucked his thumbs into the bra cups, folding the fabric under and baring her nipples to him. She was beautiful and he wanted nothing more than to taste her. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her roughly to him and putting his mouth to her. He sucked and pulled at her nipple with his tongue and worked the other one with his fingers. She pressed herself into him, whimpering and panting.

"Yes, that! Like that! Please yes, like that!"

It was difficult enough keeping control of himself with her writhing against him, but her moaned pleas were nearly too much. Her hands had found his hair again, and he let her guide him where she wanted him. He worked one side with his mouth and tongue, then the other, with her squirming against him and bossing him around.

"Oh, yes, more! Mmm, harder. More! That's so good!"

He snaked a hand down between them and loosened her belt. He worked the button of her pants until it finally came open, then let the zipper down. She jerked hard against him when he trailed the tips of his fingers low across her belly, just under the top edge of her underwear. She groaned deeply, and he felt it in her chest.

"Yes, touch me! Please, Daryl, I want you to."

He slid his hand underneath the layers she wore, only to find she was absolutely drenched. As his fingers slid against her, she dropped her head to his shoulder and moaned.

"Jesus! You're so wet!" He was stunned that he could make her that way. His cock surged, making sure he knew he didn't have much time left.

"Please, Daryl!"

He slipped his fingers up and down the length of her slick folds, making her twitch and shiver. Then he pushed two fingers inside her, moving in and out, letting his thumb find her clit. Her moans were rising in pitch and she was rolling her head side to side on his shoulder. She wasn't shy about telling him what she wanted, and he thought it was fucking hot.

"Yes, there! There! Faster! God, Daryl, I need you!"

She pulled away from him suddenly, flushed and panting, and dragged him to his feet. She kissed him hard while she fumbled open his belt with shaking hands. She pushed his clothes out of the way and took firm hold of him, making him gasp and stutter. She stroked the painfully hard length of him with her palm before pushing her own pants down just below her ass. Sucking and biting at his lip and tongue, she grabbed the armholes of his leather vest and pulled him back until they bumped up against the heavy table.

"I need you, Daryl. I need you inside me, right now!"

She turned then, leaning onto the dusty table, shoving the junk there off onto the floor, and pressing her ass back against him.

"Please, Daryl! Fuck me!"

His cock had never been harder in his life, and he was pretty sure his brain had melted. For a second, he couldn't move, eyes locked on her incredible ass.

"Please! Do it hard!"

Quickly, he pushed all the random bits of clothes they were still wearing out of the way and gave himself a tug. He put one hand on her hip and the other squeezed her cheek before sliding down to trail his fingertips through her wetness. She moaned his name, and his cock jumped eagerly.

"Daryl, pleeease!"

He guided himself to her entrance and she whimpered as he drove in all at once. She was so hot and tight around him, he was sure he would lose it right then. He put one hand on the table and the fingers of the other dug into her hip as he started to move, pushing into her hard and fast. Reaching around, he found her clit with his fingertips, and she shuddered.

"God, yes! So good! God, right there! That's it, don't stop! Don't stop!"

He bit down on the back of her neck, and sucked hard, making her gasp.

"Oh, God, yes! I'm- I'm-" She broke off with a wail as her body tensed and shuddered under him. He drove into her with another few hard strokes to take him crashing over the edge with her. He groaned into her neck as his cock pulsed deep inside her.

Once he was sure he wasn't going to black out, he kissed her neck where he'd bitten her and pulled out, turning to sit back against the table next to her. As he tucked himself back into his pants, she pushed herself up a bit and peeked over at him, breathing hard through swollen, parted lips. He smiled and reached over to smooth her hair where it had gotten spiky with sweat.

With one hand around her arm, he pulled her over to stand in front of him. He planted a quick kiss on her mouth, then carefully tugged her underwear and cargo pants back up over her gorgeous ass, zipping, buttoning, and buckling everything into place, then giving her butt a familiar squeeze. He hooked one finger into the bra strap that had slipped off her shoulder and dragged it back into place. When he slipped his fingers into her bra cups to straighten them out and tuck her back in, she shivered, but didn't pull away. When she was mostly reassembled, minus the shirt that was on the floor somewhere, he put his hands on her hips and pulled her to him, sliding his arms around her, and burying his nose in her neck.

She hugged him back, snuggling into his arms and humming her contentment.

"So," he said, "still comfy?"

Her giggles warmed him. "Yeah. We should definitely do that more often."

He pinched her butt and she squealed, giggles becoming laughter.

After a while, she was quiet again. Eventually she pulled out of his embrace. She put her hands on his cheeks and looked at him. The look she gave him was intense. He was fully clothed, but it felt like she could see through clothes, skin, muscle, and bone, straight into his soul. Everywhere she touched him, his skin tingled.

She spread her fingers on his face, curling them around the back of his neck to pull him in for a kiss. This one wasn't careful, nor was it aggressive. It simply said 'mine'. Without a word, she claimed him as her own, and he knew it was true. He was hers as surely as he breathed.

Smiling, she stepped away to retrieve her shirt and dust it off.

"So you think it's safe to try for the truck yet?" she asked.

"Hell, if there were any walkers within five miles, they'd'a been on the door by now with you howlin' like that."

"Shut up! I'm pretty sure that was your fault." She threw her shirt at his face, but grinned as she did it. He ducked to the side and the shirt fluttered to the floor again. She scooped it up with a sigh and dusted it off again before putting it on.

"Not my fault. You said you didn't put out on the first date. Clearly a lie."

She leveled a death glare at him that singed his short 'n' curlies.

He held up his hands defensively. "Jus' sayin'!"

He picked up her pack and held it out to her. After she snatched it away from him while giving him the evil eye, he picked up his crossbow and shouldered his own pack. He reached for the crossbar that locked the cellar door.

"C'mon. Let's get Asskicker's shit and go home!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to The Walking Dead. No infringement is intended. Unless it's the sexy kind of infringement, cuz that's totally on purpose. But not for money. That would be wrong.**

**ooOOoo**

**I admit it. I'm anxious as hell for this week's episode (if you know anything about it, _please_ don't tell me). But since my other two unfinished fics are both super depressing and anxiety inducing to write, I haven't been able to work on them. So y'all get some smut instead. Yay, happy, fluffy smut! There's some stuff that happens that pretends to be a story, but mostly it's just smut.**

**When we last left our heroes, they had some bangin' sex in a root cellar. Whatever shall they do now?**

* * *

"So what's the plan, then?" Carol asked as he started to move the crossbar from its brackets. "Assuming everything is great and we don't run into that herd before getting back to the truck...then what? Can you fix it? Or do we have to walk back to the prison – what, twelve miles? Fifteen?"

Damn. The woman had a point.

"Well, shit. Ain't gonna be able to fix it, not if it's what I think it is." Daryl chewed his thumbnail as he realized how paddle-less they were here in shit creek.

"So we walk?"

"Walkin'll take forever and we won't be able to carry all Asskicker's stuff. Can't stay here – no one knows where we are. They'd find the truck, but not us." He paced the little room as he mulled over their options. "Best bet's prob'ly to walk back to town and scope us out a new ride. It's a shorter walk, so less time in the open. If we get stuck there, we'd at least be in the town they know we was headed for. But if we get a car runnin', we can pick up Asskicker's shit on the way home. What'cha think?"

"I think this is going to suck no matter what," Carol sighed.

Daryl definitely agreed, but didn't want to say so. His pacing had left him in front of the section of cubbyholes along the wall. He shined his flashlight in them and snorted in amusement. "Consolation prize – looks like some of this stuff got left behind."

She smiled as he pulled out a dusty bottle. "Wine? We go out for baby formula and bring back wine?"

"You're assumin' it lasts long enough to bring back."

She laughed at that, but grabbed the burlap from the table and brought it to him for cushioning the glass bottles. She shifted all the supplies from his pack into hers and let him stuff the empty one with as many bottles as would fit. "If you want to bring it, you've gotta carry it!"

"Fine, I will!"

Once they gathered up everything they were taking with them, Daryl moved the crossbar from its brackets and shoved open the cellar door. He swung his bow to his shoulder as he climbed up enough to check the area. It was clear, so they climbed out, closing the door behind them. If they ran into trouble right away and had to come back, he didn't want to find their sanctuary full of clumsy walkers that had fallen down the stairs.

As he dropped the door into place he realized he was really going to miss that cellar. He slid a glance over to Carol, only to find her looking back with a little smile that made him squirm a bit thinking about what they'd just done. Now that they were out in the daylight, it sort of seemed unreal. He knew things between them would be different now, and that smile hinted that it would be a good kind of different.

They headed out in the general direction of the road, aiming more for the town they'd come from than toward the truck. It wouldn't take them too long to get there. Daryl figured it would take them longer to find new wheels.

Traveling mostly in silence, the walk passed fairly quickly. They encountered a few walkers, but no herd, fortunately. Finally they reached the road again. As they approached the edge of town, they checked each vehicle they found. It looked like most folks here had evacuated early, so there weren't as many cars around as he'd have liked. They worked their way through the streets, but every damn car was either wrecked in the panic right after the Turn or so deteriorated from neglect that it was useless.

Daryl began to wonder if they'd ever get back home. He figured it would be at least tomorrow before someone came looking for them. They sure as hell wouldn't have much luck walking the twenty miles back, so if they couldn't get a car that ran, they'd have to hole up somewhere for the night.

He'd just spotted a little blue hatchback peeking out from behind a service station when Carol grabbed his arm. Shit, shit, shit! Walkers were headed their way. It wasn't a whole herd, but it was way more than they could safely handle with just the two of them.

The walkers were going to cut them off from the service station, so they both looked around quickly for a place to hide. The closest cover was a chunky brick building kitty corner to them, so they sprinted across the street. The heavy wooden doors were unlocked. Flinging them open, they ran inside. There was a foyer area with some fake potted plants, some restrooms, and a couple of benches, then another set of doors at the other end. Fortunately, the outside doors didn't need a key. They flipped the locks and made their way through the second set of much less imposing glass doors just as the first of the walkers following them thumped up against the outer set, clawing and scratching.

They found themselves in a library. The interior was dusty, but pretty much untouched. It was small – not surprising for the size of town they were in. But it looked like it had been well used before the Turn. There were numerous chairs and couches scattered in the various sections, along with desks set up for studying. Several computers lined one wall, so they'd tried to keep up with the times at least. A series of narrow windows stretched up to the high ceiling, giving the place lots of natural light. Daryl was pleased to see that they were set high in the walls to make room for the shelves, so walkers wouldn't be able to break through them.

He motioned to Carol to fall in behind him as they'd done before at the day care. Her warmth at his back was doubly distracting, but he kept his focus on clearing the building. The place was actually larger than he'd originally thought, since there was a whole downstairs area full of magazines and newspapers. They swept it all carefully, including checking back on the bathrooms in the foyer, but there wasn't a walker in sight.

"Looks like they cleared outta here early, never came back."

"I guess library books aren't the first thing people go for when the world is ending." She smiled, but with a touch of sadness.

They wandered back to the central lobby area where most of the comfy couches and chairs were clustered. Digging through her pack, Carol fished out another water bottle and some of the food they'd brought.

"How long do you think it'll be before they miss us back home?" she asked as she opened up a package of nuts.

"They'll know somethin's wrong if we ain't back by dark, but they won't send anyone until at least tomorrow mornin'," Daryl replied, snatching away the package and pouring himself a handful of cashews before she grabbed it back.

"And we've got twenty walkers trying to tear down the door." She sighed, then raised her eyebrows and blinked at him sweetly. "So, we have a little time to kill?"

He popped a few cashews into his mouth and tried not to grin as he shrugged. "Why? You lookin' to get in some readin'?"

Pursing her lips, she copied his deliberate naivete. "Maybe I am." Then she looked thoughtful. "Actually, maybe I _am_. Maybe library books are _exactly_ what people should go for when the world is ending."

"Huh?" Daryl was thrown by the change in tone.

"We have people at the prison who know about farming, first aid, and so on, but we could find books on pretty much anything here! Where's a pen?" She made her way to the check-out desk and started rummaging, pulling out paper and pens. "We can make a list! Food storage, water purification, tanning leather, natural medicine, maps, power generators, mechanics – God, we could probably even make paper and cloth and shoes and oh! What about blacksmithing? Or flint knapping? We'll run out of ammunition for the guns eventually. We can start learning to make other kinds of weapons! This place could be a gold mine for us!"

Her face lit up in excitement as she wrote furiously on the paper, and Daryl sat back on one of the couches to watch her. Energy radiated from her as her enthusiasm grew. She mumbled to herself as she rushed to write down the flurry of ideas before she forgot them and made note of which subjects had priority. Whirling around, she swept over to the old card catalog files and started yanking open the long drawers to flip through them, making more notes on her paper. He grinned to himself as he watched her, then went behind the check-out counter to look for something to carry all these books that she was so determined to bring home.

"Here!" She pushed one of her papers toward him. "You go see what you can find in that section. I'll be over there."

She hurried off, leaving him to stare at the paper she'd shoved into his hands. He'd never had the patience for reading – he'd preferred to spend his time outdoors. But Merle had spent lots of time in the local library, so Daryl had learned his way around. He picked through the shelves, comparing numbers from the paper to the ones on the spines of the books. When he found the first section on his list, he pulled a rolling cart up to the shelf and started shoveling books onto it. He figured they could get picky about them later.

Since he wasn't being fussy about what books he pulled, he made it through the list fairly quickly. His cart was nearly overflowing, so he pushed it out to the lobby where their packs were still sitting. Carol was apparently still book shopping, so he went back to the stacks to find her. Peering through the shelves, he finally spotted her in a corner in the back, sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by unsteady piles of books. He didn't remember ever having indulged in a librarian fantasy, but he suddenly saw the appeal. She was engrossed in the book she held open in front of her, the fingers of her free hand tugging absently at her lower lip which made him itch to work that lip over with his teeth and tongue. She'd tucked her pen behind her ear, and he thought all she was missing was some cute little glasses.

Daryl pulled a second cart from the next aisle over. "All of these going with us?" he asked.

"Yes! All these are, but not those." She pushed the rejects farther behind her.

He started grabbing books and piling them onto the cart while she sorted through the ones still on the shelf. Together they finished up her list and brought it all out to the lobby, then stood admiring their haul. Daryl nudged her shoulder with his.

"This was a damn good idea. Can't believe we ain't never done it before."

She flushed in pleasure at the praise. "I think it might make a big difference for us in the long run."

"Sounds like some celebratin' is in order, then," he let his lips twist in a grin as he backed away from her toward his pack. He pulled out one of the bottles of wine and flopped down on the biggest couch. Digging in his pocket, he pulled out the little multi-tool he always carried and flipped out the corkscrew.

He frowned at the little metal spiral. "Shit! Think this might be the first time I ever used this thing."

Carol smiled as she went to sit next to him. "Inaugural run, then – let's break it in!"

He worked the cork free and held the bottle out to her. She took a long pull before handing it back. They both settled back into the couch, appreciating the novelty of comfortable cushions while they passed the bottle back and forth. The afternoon light shifted slowly toward evening, dimming their little library. After a time, Carol turned to recline against the armrest, stretching her legs across Daryl's lap.

For a second, he wasn't sure what to do. On the one side, he was relieved she still seemed comfortable with him after what had happened in the cellar. But on the other, he had no idea what to do with his hands. Here she was draped across him, but what did she expect him to do with that? Casual affection just wasn't a part of his experience, and it didn't come naturally. He glanced at her, but she didn't even seem to be paying attention to him. Her face was serene – smiling softly with eyes closed, and she cradled the wine bottle in the crook of her elbow. He let his hands settle on her booted ankles, giving a little squeeze when she wiggled her feet.

He slouched down and leaned his head back against the couch, enjoying the warmth of the wine flowing through his blood. Damn. No tolerance at all anymore. They hadn't even finished the bottle yet. He amused himself thinking about how much shit Merle would give him for getting buzzed off half a bottle of wine.

Leaning to the side, he pulled the bottle away from her and took another drink. After giving it back, his hands returned to her ankles, and he was vaguely disappointed to remember they were still bound up in her boots. He smiled as he traced his fingers over the many buckles. He loved these boots. They were seriously hot boots. On a run a month or so ago, Michonne had handed him the big shoebox and told him with a wink that Carol needed new boots. He hadn't questioned it in the moment. They wore through their shoes all the time. But the smile Carol gave him when he'd handed them to her let him know it wasn't just any old pair of boots. And when he'd seen her wearing them later that day, it had made his breath catch in his chest. They were _seriously_ hot boots. Without really thinking about it, he drew one of the zippers down to her ankle. He slipped one hand under the soft leather to hold her calf while the other hand pulled the boot from her foot. Repeating the process with the other boot, he dumped them onto the floor in a tangle of leather straps and buckles. She wore short woolen socks, and her cargo pants were rolled up to the knee, leaving her calves bare to his fingers. He smoothed his palms along her shins, admiring her soft skin and the whisper of hair there. Resentful of the barrier to her skin, he stripped off her socks, sending them to the floor after the boots. He let his fingers drift over her feet – gently, but not so lightly as to tickle her. Watching her carefully, he massaged her calves and feet, letting her responses guide his touch. She sighed and hummed softly at the attention, and when his palm slipped up over her knee to squeeze her thigh, she gasped. Every little sound, every movement she made, every bit of color flushing her cheeks – all of it served to stoke the fire burning low in his belly.

Her eyes opened, and she set the mostly empty wine bottle carefully on the floor. Inhaling deeply, she stretched, spreading then curling her toes and arching her back as her arms reached far above her head, making her shirt hitch up to flash a bit of skin at her waist. God, she was beautiful! She bent her knees a bit, letting her calves brush over his lap, against his hardening dick. He tightened his grip on her leg to press her into him more.

A smile curved one side of her mouth as she reached down to unfasten her belt. She lifted her hips to push her cargoes down, then slipped out of them one leg at a time before dropping them in the growing pile of her clothes on the floor. The sight of her lying there in her underwear made him groan as his cock surged hard against his own zipper. Back in the cellar, everything had happened quickly, and neither of them had removed much clothing. Suddenly, he _had_ to see her. He desperately needed her soft, freckled skin bared to him – _all_ of it.

With a growl, Daryl turned to sit facing her, dragging her legs to either side of his hips. As he leaned forward to take her mouth with his own, he felt a dizzy rush from the wine. Or was it from kissing her? Didn't matter. He lost himself in the feel and taste of her, pushing into her hot mouth with his tongue, kissing her with everything he had. She lifted herself off the couch enough for him to pull her shirt up and over her head, then reach back to unhook the bra that was still in his way. When those had been added to the pile, he pushed himself up, bracing his hands on either side of her.

He let his eyes trail over her body, memorizing every line, every curve. She was perfect. Every scar, every wrinkle, every freckle, vein, scrape, or stretch mark – he took note of every mark on her, intending to sample every one of them with hands and mouth.

"I like it when you look at me," she whispered as she arched toward him. He liked it when she said things like that.

One mark in particular caught his eye. Just barely visible from the front, the bite mark he'd left on her neck before in the cellar peeked out at him. Seeing it brought all the sensations he'd experienced in that moment rushing back. The sweat from the effort of driving himself deep into her. Her slick walls sliding along his length as he moved. The almost painful pleasure of feeling her come around him, pulsing and hot as she cried out in ecstasy. His own shuddering release that came just after. He touched the mark with gentle fingertips, and the surge of feeling that welled in his chest caught him off guard. He hadn't meant to, but he'd marked her in that moment, and seeing it now set his mind howling, claiming his territory.

He leaned forward to catch that mark again with his mouth, then worked his way up the side of her throat, tasting every bit of skin as he went, until he reached her lips again. One hand slid up her ribs to catch her breast. He kneaded and squeezed, teasing her rigid nipple with his thumb. Her breath came faster and she moaned into his mouth.

Carol pulled at his vest and shirt. "Too many clothes! I want to see you!"

He pushed himself back to his heels and shed the offending articles while she sat up to watch. Shivering as the cool air wafted over his exposed skin, he tossed the clothing aside. Her face was rapt, her gaze moving over his body in a way that made his pulse race. He could understand now what she meant when she said she liked him looking at her. Though he knew he wasn't hideous, he'd always hated the thought of people seeing him shirtless, expecting judgment, disgust, or pity. But her flushed face told a different story, and damned if it didn't make him feel good – sexy, even.

Her eyes met his briefly before she reached for him, palms resting for a moment on his chest. She explored his body then, hands brushing reverently over him. She curled her fingers to scrape his chest gently with her nails, which made goosebumps erupt over his skin.

"You're beautiful," she sighed.

Not wanting to break the mood, he didn't argue. Instead, he reached for her, pulling her close enough to kiss again, but she broke away.

"Please, take off the rest. I want to see you, and it'll be too dark soon." Her hand grazed over the front of his jeans, cupping him lightly, teasing him, and in doing so, making sure he'd do absolutely anything she asked.

So he stood, unbuckling his belt as he rose. Her eyes were locked on his hands, her lips parted as she breathed, short and sharp. God, she was on her knees now, sitting on the couch with her feet folded under her, watching attentively as he unfastened his top button. Her hands moved on her thighs, caressing her own skin. He lowered the zipper and let his pants fall open and hang low on his hips. Her breath hitched, and his ego swelled – he knew the bulge of his cock was pressing hard against his boxers, framed in the fly of his pants. One of her hands drifted up her belly until her fingers trailed across her breasts. Her other hand hovered just above her lap, as though she were resisting the urge to reach out and touch him.

She turned burning eyes to meet his. "Boots off. Pants off. Now, please!"

How could he resist such a polite request? Leaning down, he loosened and pulled off his boots one at a time, careful not to tip over from the influence of the wine. Suddenly, self-consciousness tickled at his brain, and he felt his face twitch at the idea of being completely naked in front of another person – especially her. What if she were disappointed? What if she changed her mind? What if she thought everything that happened today was a big mistake or just a one time thing?

"Daryl, please?" The fingers that had been teasing her nipple had drifted down again, and she was dragging her middle finger up and down, rubbing herself through the triangle of fabric covering her mound. Holy fuck, his face was on fire.

Hooking his thumbs in the waistband of his pants, he stripped them and his boxers off quickly, and waited to see what she would do.

Her hands went still as she looked, then she gave a breathy sigh and reached for him. One hand spread flat against his thigh. The other hesitated for just an instant before wrapping around his straining cock, which jumped and pulsed at her touch. Her eyelids fluttered closed as a throaty moan ground out of her.

"Oh, Daryl, you're perfect."

She ducked down then and licked the length of him, pulling his head into her mouth to suck hard while her hand stroked him down to the root. Stars burst behind his eyes, and he squeezed them closed. Searing heat roiled through him, and he willed himself not to come on the spot. He put a hand to the side of her head.

"Jesus, woman! Ain't no way I can hold on with you doin' that," he panted.

The hand on his thigh slid around to cup his ass. She tilted her chin up to look at him, leaving his throbbing dick resting along her throat. "That's kind of the point," she purred with a smile.

Every word thrummed against his dick. He grunted at the sensation and tried to remember why he was resisting.

Carol took pity on him, though, and pulled him down to sit on the couch. Straddling his lap, she settled herself against him with a couple of torturous wiggles and a grin that might best be described as wicked. Stroking her hands down his cheeks, she pressed her lips to his, slipping her tongue in when he opened up to her. His hands found her ass, sliding up under those damn panties she was still wearing to knead her flesh. She caught his jaw in one hand and pushed his head to the side, working her mouth down his throat leaving a wet trail behind. He closed his eyes and let the feeling wash over him. When she bit him at the crook of his neck, he flinched in surprise, then groaned in pleasure as she sucked hard, then licked the spot. She leaned back to admire the mark she left behind, eyes twinkling in the dimming light.

Narrowing his own eyes at her, he gave her ass a sharp smack, making her yelp. "What? It's only fair!"

"Ain't no way I'm goin' back home decorated with a buncha hickeys."

"Just the one, then," she smirked.

"Jus' the one," he grudgingly allowed, given he didn't have much choice.

Her expression shifted, teasing giving way to heat. Her small hand found his and dragged it up to her breast. "Touch me." Leaning into his hand, she pulled his face to her other breast. "Suck," she demanded.

When his mouth closed over her nipple, she dropped her head back with a cry. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and pinned her to him. He pulled at her with his mouth, sucking hard and nibbling at her with his lips. His squeezed her other breast, rolling and tugging the nipple. She squirmed against him as she gripped his shoulders and ground her hips into him.

"God, yes! Please, more, yes, please! Harder!" Her fingers wound almost painfully into his hair. Turned out he liked that almost as much as he liked her talking.

His free hand dropped to fondle her ass for a minute before moving farther in to tease her through the fabric of the panties he was really beginning to resent. They were soaked through and radiating the heat of her body. When his fingers rubbed over her lips, she squirmed against him even more, trying to increase the pressure. Her thighs squeezed his hips hard as she rocked herself, pushing back against his hand. She whimpered when he pulled his fingers away. "Please don't stop! I like it when you touch me there."

Abruptly, Daryl flipped them so she lay on her back on the couch, his hips nestled between her legs. He palmed her thigh and pulled it up to wrap her leg around him. "Oh, I ain't done touchin' you yet."

Her answering moan sent a throbbing rush down south, and the sober voice in his brain wondered how much longer he could hold out. Probably good he'd already taken the edge off earlier or there was no way he'd still be in control with the way she was writhing against him.

He dropped his head and set to work licking and sucking his way across her chest and throat, while his hands molded her ass and waist. Finally he slipped his hand back down between her legs to trail his fingers over her wet panties. Her nails dug into his back and shoulders.

"God, that feels so good! Oh!" Carol gasped in a breath when he slipped his fingers under the fabric to slide through the slippery wetness beneath.

He found her clit and rubbed gentle patterns around it, dipping his fingers down occasionally to keep things slick. When he latched his mouth onto her nipple, she cried out and strained against him.

"Oh, Daryl, yes! Higher – yes, there – right there! Harder! Ah! Don't stop! Don't stop! Oh, God, I'm coming – I'm – oh! Oh!" She thrashed against him, and trailed off into wordless moaning. Then she went rigid and shuddered hard as she rode out her orgasm, whimpering his name.

He shifted the focus of his attention, moving his mouth away from her breasts, and pulling his hand out from under her panties, smoothing the fabric back into place before running his palm in a slow trail over her waist and hip. He lifted his head enough to watch her face as she recovered. She was relaxed and glowing, eyes closed and lips wearing a satisfied smile. The light coming from the windows would be gone soon, but he loved being able to see her like this right now. He'd done this to her – taken her to this place. Knowing he had that kind of power over her body's responses was more intoxicating than wine could ever be and more arousing than he would have thought possible.

"Kiss my neck? Want to feel your mouth on me." Her sleepy voice set his blood humming. Lowering his head, he did as she asked, kissing and nuzzling her neck and jaw. She combed the fingers of one hand through his hair, drawing him closer. When he pulled her earlobe into his mouth and worked it with his tongue, she made a little noise in her throat.

"Mmm...I like that. Do it more."

So he sucked the lobe and nipped his way up her ear, then gave the whole curved edge of it one long lick before sucking the lobe again. Her free hand drifted over his skin, stroking him along his ribs down to his hip. She started punctuating each stroke with a squeeze as she pressed her own hips into him. Unconsciously, he picked up the rhythm and began rocking, grinding his erection against her. He moved back to her mouth, kissing her hot and hard. She hissed into his mouth and bit his lower lip.

"Do you like it? Do you want me? Tell me."

He struggled to make words happen. "Yes."

"Tell me. Say what you want, and you can have it. Say it!"

"I...I want-" The friction against his dick, the touch of her hands, her mouth - it was driving him senseless. He only wanted one thing. He wanted _her._ "You! God, Carol, I wanna fuck you so hard. All I want is you, all the fuckin' time!" If he was in his right mind, he knew he'd be mortified by his words – but somehow, right now, saying it aloud was OK. It was better than that, it was fuckin' liberating. Something inside him opened up, and floods of feeling burst through him, swirling and churning and driving the physical pleasure he felt to a new intensity. It left him high as a fucking kite.

"Then do it! I want it!"

Shoving himself upright, he untangled her legs from his waist long enough to strip those goddamn panties off her. He balled them up and threw them as far as he could, hoping she wouldn't ever find them again. Then he hooked her knees with his hands and yanked her to him, spreading her legs wide. As he gazed at her, naked and open before him in the last of the day's light, moving his palms up and down her thighs in long strokes. She was clenching her fists into the couch cushions beside her and straining toward him.

"Daryl, please!"

And that was it. He needed to have her _right now_. Lining himself up, he pushed in slowly, smoothly, making sure they both felt every inch. Once he was completely buried in her, he started to move, taking each powerful stroke to its full length while she matched him. She released the cushions and dug her fingers into his hair again, pulling tight and making him grunt, forcing his eyes to hers.

"Look at me. I couldn't watch you last time, and I need to see you come – to see what I do to you. I want to see you lose control. I wanna lick the salt off your neck and suck your fingers while you fill me up. I want you to fuck me hard and shout my name and scream and swear and beg for more. Look at me, Daryl! I want to see you come!"

He was helplessly lost in her eyes as her words set him on fire. He thrust into her harder and faster, coiling hot and tight until he broke into a sweat and his whole body tensed. His rhythm faltered, and he groaned deep in his chest. Fighting to keep his eyes locked with hers, he shuddered and shook as he came hard, waves of pleasure crashing through him as he filled her. Finally, he collapsed weakly onto her, tipping enough to the side so he didn't crush her, and buried his head in her neck.

"Jesus. Fuck," he mumbled. His head was spinning. His body floated lighter than air.

She wrapped herself around him and made good on her word. She nibbled his neck and licked the salt from his skin while her hands smoothed over the muscles of his back. Bringing one of his hands up, she pulled his forefinger into her mouth and sucked on it, laving it with her tongue, then scraped her teeth over the callused pad of his fingertip.

"Fuuuuck, that feels good." He didn't lift his head from her neck, so his words were muffled. Sleep was trying to creep up on him, the touch of her lips the only thing keeping him tethered to the waking world. He could feel her smile against his fingers.

She released his hand and leaned away from him. He groaned in protest, but stopped complaining when she came back with the wine bottle in her hand.

"One more drink? Might as well finish it off." She bumped the bottle against his fingers.

He rolled a bit to the side, took the bottle, and propped himself up on an elbow enough to take one last slug. Carol took it back and drained the last of it. She leaned down again to put the bottle on the floor at the end of the couch where they'd be less likely to kick it over in the dark. When she turned back, she hooked her leg over his, pinning his thigh between hers. Her arm snaked around his waist, and she used his arm as a pillow. In the drowsy stillness, the air was cool so he held her close to share their warmth. She still smelled amazing. That unique Carol scent that he liked so much was there, but mixed now with the sweaty, musky scent of sex. If he wasn't completely spent it would be incredibly arousing. As it was, he just breathed her in and smiled to himself wondering if anyone at the prison would notice.

"Daryl?"

"Mmmm?"

"I want this. All the time. I want us to be like this." The courage that came from the wine wasn't quite enough to stop the waver in her voice.

All the time. She wanted to be with him_ like this _all the time.

Had he fallen asleep? He'd had dreams like this before, so for an instant he wasn't sure – this whole day felt a little unreal. Heat crept up his neck when he mentally confirmed he was not dreaming. His heart hammered against his ribs as he suddenly wasn't sleepy at all.

"Daryl?" Her voice cracked.

He realized he hadn't answered her – she must be scared to death he was going to panic and shut her out. Quite frankly, before today, it would have been a possibility. But now?

"I want this. I want you. All the time."

She let out the breath she'd been holding in hopeful laughter. "You do?"

"Jus' you try and get rid of me." He found her jaw with his hand and kissed her hard in the dark. "Careful what you ask for, woman. I'mma be a tick on your ass."

She laughed for real this time. "Maybe I don't mind you on my ass."

"Stop..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Holy shit, I'm gonna die before this episode ever gets here. I probably shouldn't let a TV show govern so much of my emotional well-being, but dammit, I just can't help myself. So, I'm making myself feel better by writing more smut, and I was determined to get this chapter out before tonight, just in case everything goes to hell, and I'm not in the mood to write happy stuff for a while. It's a little shorter in the interests of getting it done today – but mostly by not having as much not-smut. ;)**

**Ready or not, I'm posting it - please let me know if you see any mistakes.**

**Disclaimer: Once again, as much as I wish it did, none of this stuff belongs to me. I just like imagining that stuff doing naughty things.**

* * *

Night had truly fallen, and it was almost completely dark in their library. The faint light from the half-moon only gave enough illumination to make out the general shapes of things. Daryl dozed on the couch, Carol's warm little body snug against him. He'd been floating in and out of sleep for a while, not knowing or caring how much of the night had passed. Each time he woke, he checked to make sure Carol really was there, and he wasn't actually in his prison bed having the best dream of his life. Each time he found it still true, he started to believe it a little more.

Though he resisted as long as possible, his bladder had reached its limit. He tried to be gentle as he disentangled himself from Carol's limbs, but she was a light sleeper, and there was no way to avoid waking her. As he eased his arm from under her head, she started.

"Mm. Wha?"

He reached to soothe her blindly. "S'OK. Just goin' to take a piss."

"Mmmm."

Carefully, he made his way off the couch and felt around for the packs he knew were close. He dug out a flashlight and covered the business end with his hand before switching it on. Even blocking most of the light, it was painfully bright. He padded barefoot out through the glass doors to the restrooms. The water wasn't running, but it wasn't like they were moving in, so he didn't feel too bad about pissing in a defunct urinal.

On his way back, he paused to listen at the heavy wooden outer doors. There were definitely still walkers just outside, but they seemed to have forgotten there was a meal inside. He couldn't tell how many remained, but there were at least a few.

When he got back to the couch, it was empty. She must have gone to pee, too. So he put away his flashlight and settled back onto the couch, taking the opportunity to sprawl a bit. Cushy as it was, it was narrow as hell, making for cramped sleeping.

Carol returned with her flashlight covered as he had done. It was lighting her way back but also illuminating her, spilling its warmth over her body as she crossed the room. Daryl took the chance to admire her openly since she wouldn't be able to see him looking. Neither of them were spring chickens anymore, but she wore her years well. She was slim and graceful. Though she was probably thinner than she should be, the hard work that was their life now meant she had muscle sculpting her arms and legs. He kinda wished he'd been able to see her walk out, too, since he was pretty sure she had the finest ass in all the apocalypse. She wasn't real busty, but that just meant she was still perky. Those tits were cute as hell, and just asking for a good squeeze.

"My eyes are up here," she said with the aforementioned eyes sparkling in the light.

Shit! He'd gotten so focused, he'd forgotten he was supposed to be stealthy.

"Sorry," he mumbled, hastily turning his gaze away.

She flicked the flashlight off and stashed it back in the pack. He blinked into the blackness as his eyes tried to adjust to the lack of light, but he could still hear the smile in her voice. "Don't be sorry. I told you, I like it. The way you look at me makes me feel good. You make me feel sexy. Pretty."

"Why?" The question came out before he even knew he wanted to ask it.

"Why does it make me feel sexy?" She sounded puzzled.

"No," he tried to clarify without sounding like a dumbass. "You told me you like it...and other stuff. You said things...during. I guess I didn't expect it is all."

Her hands found his leg as she fumbled her way blindly back to the couch. He scooted over to make room for her again. She sat, but didn't lie down with him, and asked, "You didn't expect me to talk during sex? You don't like it? I can stop..."

"No! That ain't what I meant." He sighed in frustration. "Can I ask you somethin' really ain't my business?"

She hesitated before answering. "I guess so."

"You can tell me to fuck off if you don't wanna talk about it."

With a soft puff of laughter through her nose, she stretched out next to him, snuggling into his chest. "Okay."

"It's just, you seem so...comfortable with all the talkin' and bein' bossy-"

"Hey! I'm not bossy! I just know what I want, so I ask for it."

"Well, that's just it. I wouldn'ta thought you'd be like that." He paused to take a breath before throwing himself in the deep end. "Your husband was an asshole, and I know he hurt you. He don't seem the type to be...open to suggestions like that. I don't mean to be a dick – awww, shit, forget it. You don't have to talk about him. Sorry, I shouldn'ta brought it up - shoulda minded my own fuckin' business." The more he talked, the more he wished he could take it all back. Talk about someone being a prize asshole.

He felt Carol turn away ever so slightly. She was quiet so long he thought for sure she was pissed off. But eventually she spoke again.

"Ed _was_ an asshole. That's probably the nicest thing you could say about him. Before I married him, I was a pretty social person. I mean, I liked going out with friends and dating. I liked having fun – you wouldn't guess it now, but when I first went off to school I went a little crazy with the partying. At home, things with my folks were good, but they were strict. I went a little overboard once I got a bit of freedom."

She paused a moment before continuing. "That first year at college, I met Ed. Long story short we got married less than six months later. He wasn't like that at first. An asshole, I mean. 'Course he wasn't – I wouldn't have married him if he was. But you know how it goes. Things start happening – little things at first, but you let it go, make excuses. By the time you realize how bad things have become, you can't get away. Asshole doesn't even begin to cover it."

She shrugged. "Everything I was before, it just sort of went away. I was so busy trying to be what Ed wanted, I lost track of everything I wanted. Not that Ed would have allowed that anyway. The only thing to come from that marriage that I actually wanted was Sophia, and she wasn't planned."

A shiver ran through her, so he pulled her closer. "After he was dead, for a long time it was like he _wasn't_ dead. He was still there telling me what I could and couldn't do and how I should be. I was still what I'd let him make me into."

She fell quiet again for a moment, then slipped a hand up to stroke his cheek. "But he's gone now. And I'm...finding myself again, I guess, and a lot of that is because of you."

"Me?" Daryl couldn't keep in the surprise.

"After Sophia died...I wouldn't have made it without you. You know that, right? You helped me find the strength to get through it. You gave me the hand I needed to pull _myself_ up instead of just carrying me along. I feel safe with you. I feel free to be myself because you saw me at my worst, but you didn't abandon me or try to change me. So I guess that's the answer. I ask for what I want because I trust you with who I am."

He didn't know what to say.

She couldn't keep the smile out of her voice as she added, "Also, because I like to boss you around."

He snorted. "I knew it!"

She burst into a fit of giggles.

If it wasn't pitch black – if she could see his face, he probably wouldn't have the balls to say anything. As it was, he could feel the embarrassment burning hot in his cheeks. Why was this stuff so hard to say?

"I like it."

"Like what?"

"...I like you bein' all bossy. 'M sorry I got nosy. I like the talkin' – don't want you to stop." He forced the words out in a rush.

She put her hand to his cheek again and pulled him into gentle kisses at first, but it quickly heated up until she was kissing him fiercely. Shoving at his shoulders, she arranged him so he was flat on his back, and then she was on him. Her hands and mouth seemed to be everywhere at once, and his body answered her before his brain could catch up. He pushed his hips up against her, encouraging his growing erection. His hands dragged roughly up her sides to find her breasts, kneading them and pinching the nipples to make her gasp. She rolled her hips in response, grinding herself on him in a way that should be illegal. A desperate sounding noise ground out of him through clenched teeth as she kept it up, shamelessly massaging his cock with her pussy.

"What about that? You like that?" she demanded.

"Uhh huh."

She caught his chin with her hand. "I didn't hear you. Do you like that?"

"Yes!"

"What else do you like?" She eased off him enough that he could process what she was saying. "Tell me what you want."

"I... What?"

"Tell me what you want me to do. What do you like? How do you want me to touch you? What do you want to do to me?" Her hands began to roam again, stroking and squeezing.

"I dunno." Heat prickled up his neck. "Ain't never done that before."

"Done what?" Her nails scraped over his chest.

"Talkin' and stuff. Feel like an idiot." He scowled. He kind of felt like an idiot now. It would probably have upset him more if she weren't still rubbing herself along his cock.

"Tell you what," she said. "We can take turns. I'll go first."

She shifted forward to lie on his chest, resting her cheek against his jaw and purring her words softly into his ear. "Every time you lick your fingers when you eat, it drives me crazy. I get wet every time. I watch you suck your fingers and think about you sucking my clit."

"Hnnnngh." Jesus. He might not live to get his turn.

Pushing herself up a bit, she trailed her fingertips down his cheek and over his mouth, teasing his lower lip. "Suck on my fingers."

His hand drifted up to take hers. He closed his lips over her forefinger, biting down gently and running his tongue back and forth over the pad. She sighed and rested her cheek on his shoulder, relaxing into him. Taking her finger in deeper, he sucked on it in pulses, working the underside with swirling sweeps of his tongue between each pulse. She took a sharp, shuddering breath and squeezed his hips with her thighs.

"Oh, that's good!"

Encouraged, he kept it up, eventually pulling a second finger in, sucking them both and sliding his tongue between them. Then he worked her other fingers in turn as she squirmed.

Finally, she pulled her pinky away and grasped his face in her hands, her fingers still wet, planting a kiss on him before sitting up. Her nails raked swerving trails over his chest as she went.

"Your turn," she said. There was so little light he couldn't see her face – only black on black shadows. "What do you want?"

"Dunno. Can't think of anything." He was too flustered to think at all. This was too weird.

Her hands moved in soothing patterns over his chest and shoulders, down his arms to where his hands gripped her thighs. "Well, you were certainly thinking things when you watched me come back from the bathroom. What were you thinking then?"

"Um. That you were pretty." His cheeks flushed hot. He wasn't sure if he liked this at all.

"I like that you think that. It makes me feel good." Her hands came to rest over his and gave a supportive squeeze. "What else were you thinking about?"

He racked his brain, trying to remember. She'd been so sexy – graceful and lean, great legs, adorable tits. "Your ass. I was wishin' I'd been able to see you walk away, cuz I wanted to see your ass."

"Let's start with that, then," she said as she slipped off him to fetch a flashlight from the pack. She stood the light upright on its end and draped a layer of her shirt over it, muting the brightness, but still leaving enough of a soft glow to see by. "Now you can see. Tell me what you want."

He sat up on the couch, feeling less anxious now that he'd figured out a goal. "Walk. That way." He pointed straight ahead.

With a little smile, she turned away from him, holding his eyes as long as possible. He'd been right. Definitely the finest ass in all the apocalypse. She walked away from him, slow and steady, without adding any extra swing to her hips. She was incredibly sexy without even trying – no slinking or sauntering, just walking. Her natural gait made her glorious ass flex and shift and he had a sudden urge to sink his teeth into her sweet flesh. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

"Stop. Come back."

He stood, and when she reached him, he stepped behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. He pushed her forward until she bumped the couch, and then pushed a little more so she climbed up onto the seat cushions on her knees. She rested her hands along the back of the couch and peered over her shoulder at him.

"Hold still. I wanna touch you."

For a moment, he just enjoyed the view, but the need to touch her took over. He stroked his hands down her back and the curve of her hips, then gave her cheeks a thorough kneading. She twitched against him when he strayed close to her center. Taking hold of her hips, he moved onto the seat behind her, pinning her thighs to the back of the couch with his weight and pressing his cock against her ass.

He put his hands on her shoulders and brushed his palms down her arms. Nuzzling into the side of her neck, he caught her hands and drew them up behind his own neck.

"Don't let go."

She laced her fingers together and held on, the position stretching her body to arch deliciously against him. He ran his splayed hands down the front of her, over her breasts and belly, down her thighs as far as he could reach, and back up again to focus on her tits. She leaned her head back against him, whimpering as he teased her nipples. He nipped at her neck, not biting hard enough to mark her, but enough to make her roll her head farther to the side, asking for more.

Spreading his hand flat, he slowly trailed his way down over her belly. She shuddered when his fingers reached the smooth skin just above her patch of curls. He skimmed over the hair there to tuck his fingers between her legs and give her inner thigh a squeeze.

"You're so wet, you're dripping," he murmured into her ear as he rubbed circles in the slickness on her leg, still not touching her where she most wanted. He rocked his hips so the hard length of his cock slid along the crease between her clenched cheeks, making her moan. "Is that for me? Are you wet for me?"

She cried out before answering, "Oh, god, yes! For you – only for you!"

The raw need in her voice boosted his confidence, so he told her exactly what he wanted. "I'm going to make you come."

"Yes, yes!"

"Beg for it."

She strained hard against him, pulling at his neck, but didn't let him go. "Please! Please, Daryl, touch me! Oh, god, pleeeease? Make me come?"

A surge of wanting washed through him, making his head swim. He wanted her so goddamn much. He wanted to make her come until she screamed. He wanted to make her his.

"Shhhhh, hold still." And finally he cupped her, rubbing his palm over her sensitive clit. She gasped and went rigid trying to be still for him, biting her lips together, but not quite able to muffle the whimpers. That she would try so hard to do what he wanted made him want to try just as hard to please her.

He pushed two fingers in deep, curving them just so. She felt thick and swollen and feverish inside. As he pumped his fingers into her, he kept up the pressure on her clit with the base of his thumb. Tremors ran through her as she held herself still, forcing panting breaths through her nose.

"Be still!" he reminded her gruffly. As he felt the tension in her body reach its peak, he rolled her nipple and gave it a pinch.

Suddenly she came apart in his hands. He felt the flood of wetness as her muscles spasmed hard around his fingers. The keening noise she'd started making turned into a growling scream through gritted teeth. She thrashed and bucked hard against him and cried out her release. Finally she went limp in his arms, and he caught her against him, his fingers digging in possessively.

"I'm sorry!" Her voice was thick in his ears. "I tried to be still, but I couldn't! I'm so sorry."

He sucked at her earlobe and gave it a sharp nip, feeling rough and wild and a little out of control. "You can make it up to me by asking me to fuck you."

She moaned. "Yes! Fuck me, Daryl! Use me! Give it to me, please?"

Her words scorched his ears. His face burned, and his cock throbbed hard – he was already right on the edge and rapidly losing himself. With a hand to the back of her neck, he bent her over the back of the couch. He held her there while he got lined up, then with his other hand gripping her hip, he shoved into her all at once, hard and fast. She let out a little choking sob, then whimpered words of approval while she clung to the couch. He set a punishing pace, and she was jarred forward with every grunting thrust. When his orgasm hit, he gripped her hips with both hands, digging his fingers in hard, spilling his cum as deep into her as he could possibly reach.

"Fuck! Carol, aw Jesus tits!" His jerking and twitching gradually eased, but tingling fire rippled over his whole body, and all power of thought was simply gone.

Still gasping for breath, he released her, turning to plant his ass on the couch and pulling her down to sit across his lap. They held each other while their breathing slowed, resting their foreheads together. As his body calmed, so did the chaos in his mind. His fingers wound into the hair at the back of her head and massaged her scalp. He picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles before clasping it to his chest.

"You OK? Did I hurt you?"

She tightened the arm curled around his neck. "Mmmm. I'm great. You?"

He nodded, though he wasn't completely sure what just happened. Everything had felt so good, but now he felt a little confused, and he didn't understand why.

"Oh, shit, you're not OK, are you?" she asked, pulling back with a wrinkle of concern between her brows. "Oh, god, Daryl, I screwed this up, didn't I? I pushed you too much. I'm so sorry!"

"Naw, it ain't that." He frowned, trying to puzzle out what he felt. "It was just so...so much! So..." He gestured wide with his hands, trying to express what words couldn't.

"Overwhelming?" she offered sheepishly.

"Hell, maybe a little, but somethin' else, too." He couldn't look at her face, so he focused on his thumbnail instead. He started to chew on it, then remembered what she said about him putting his fingers in his mouth, and he flushed. "What we did – it's good, and I liked it, but it makes me feel...out in the open or somethin'. More naked than just bein' nekkid, you know?"

She shifted around so she was sitting at his side and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her without even thinking – it was just the thing to do now. Her hand rested on his belly, and he could feel the puffs of her breath against his chest.

Her fingers drew patterns on his stomach. "This thing we're doing? The way we both want things to be now? I think it might be opening us up to feeling things differently than we're used to. It feels good to share things with you, but it leaves me feeling vulnerable, too. It's okay, though, because I trust you. I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose, just like I would never, ever hurt you. I don't ever want to push you anywhere you aren't comfortable being. But I also want you to know that I'll always be here to help you through the rough parts, just like you did for me."

She burrowed her face into his neck and wrapped her arm tightly around him. He pressed his cheek to the top of her head.

Vulnerable. That was it. Daryl had never been close enough to anyone in his life to feel vulnerable. At least not in this way. He'd spent his life holding people at arms length – pushing them even further away if he could. He'd started that way with Carol. Over time, she'd slipped through all his defenses, and eventually he found he didn't mind. And now he was deliberately letting her in – and the closer she got, the more anxious he was. He was standing precariously on the edge of a cliff, terrified of falling into the gaping chasm in front of him.

"I trust you," he whispered into her hair.

He didn't want to fall, but he suddenly realized that as long as she took his hand, he was willing to jump.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'd like to take a moment to thank pretty much everybody out there. It thrills me to no end that people actually read what I write, and some of you even enjoy it. Those of you who take the time to review after reading, well, you're just my favorite people ever. **

**And most importantly, to all the other writers out there who work so hard to keep us all entertained and excited about this show and particularly this ship...you're frickin' angels on earth!**

**Caryl on!**

**Disclaimer: The usual. I do not own any of the characters or situations related to The Walking Dead. This is purely for entertainment (my own, at the very least).**

* * *

Daryl woke before dawn as usual. Unlike usual, he was spooned around a warm, naked body. He didn't open his eyes immediately. Instead, he savored the moment, knowing that he and Carol wouldn't have this kind of peace once they returned to the prison. He relaxed and breathed her in, enjoying her soft warmth in the faint pre-dawn light. Eventually she stirred, and he allowed his thumb to caress her stomach where his hand rested. She hummed softly and arched back into him, intensifying the morning wood that had been pressed against her ass since he woke.

He tipped his head to nuzzle drowsily into the crook of her neck, planting kisses all along the way. She reached back and rested her hand on his hip, sighing at the attention he was giving her neck and shoulder. Her fingers dug in, massaging him. Reaching back a little more, she pulled him forward as she pushed her ass back to meet him. His pulse jumped, and he couldn't help but rub up against her. Once he was rocking into her, she brought her hand back to cover his, dragging it up to cup her breast and giving it a squeeze. He didn't need to be asked twice.

Their bodies barely moved, but Daryl felt every brush of skin against skin in vivid detail – the warmth of her back moving against his chest, the subtle bump-bump of his forearm over her ribs, the scruffing of hair as she stroked her foot along his calves. As he squeezed and caressed each of her breasts in turn, he moved his lips up to her ear, his breath whispering over it as he pulled her earlobe into his mouth. She pulled in a sharp, shuddering breath as he bit down gently and tugged. He nibbled and licked his way along the curve before kissing her behind the ear. All the while, they kept up their gentle rocking motions that held the promise of pleasures to come.

They were both breathing faster now, their movements almost hypnotic, and Daryl felt a little dazed, as if this were a slow-motion wet dream. She caught his hand and moved it from her breast to his cock, arching her back to give him better access to her. Taking himself in hand, he gave a good tug before guiding himself to her. She hissed as he pushed deep inside. They paused for a brief, heated moment of stillness. When she pressed back against him, he took that as an invitation to continue.

He kept his movements gentle, but thorough, pushing into her as deeply as he could with each slow stroke. She was hot and tight around him – she felt so good, it set his head spinning. Slipping his hand over her hip and between her legs, he gripped her inner thigh, giving it a good squeeze. Then he brought his hand up, fingers coming to rest at her opening to feel himself sliding in and out of her which sent tingling pleasure through him.

Gathering up some of the ample moisture there, he moved his fingers to her clit, rubbing gently and adjusting pace and placement by letting her little gasps and twitches guide him to what was best. He slipped the arm he'd been using as a pillow under her head and over her shoulder to find her breast, kneading and tweaking her in rhythm with their other movements. She reached up to tangle her fingers into his hair, turning her head to him. He couldn't quite reach her lips, but their breaths mingled as he pressed his nose into her cheek.

Her body coiled tighter under his hands. The dreamy feeling in his head increased as he built toward his own release. Suddenly, her grip on his hair tightened and she breathed out a squeaky little, "Oh!"

He could feel her orgasm rolling through her body in shuddering waves, her already tight walls contracting and gripping his cock. He sped up his last few strokes to bring himself over the edge just as she started coming down from her peak. He groaned her name as he came in a dizzying rush, emptying himself completely.

Kissing the back of her neck, he nosed in behind her ear as he basked in his dreamlike high. She reached behind her to grip his hip, keeping him in place as he softened inside her. His hand made soothing strokes over her body, as far as he could reach without moving. Eventually, his arm came to rest around her middle, his hand just beneath her breast. They lay quietly for some time while the breaking dawn began to brighten their windows.

"Do we _have_ to go back?" she sulked, finally breaking the silence.

He smiled into her neck. "Yeah, prob'ly do."

"Don't wanna." She was cute when she pouted.

"We'll get mighty hungry we stay here – all we got left is wine and some stale Cheetos."

"Damn."

He snorted.

After a few more minutes of lounging, he eased himself away from her to sit up at one end of the couch with her feet on his lap. "Best get dressed, then box up these books. We can leave 'em by the door, go find us a ride, and bring it back here to load 'em all up."

She groaned, scrubbing her fingers through her hair. She flashed him a little grin, though, as she stood to gather up a water bottle and her discarded clothing from the night before. As she moved, something on her skin caught his eye, and he reached out to stop her with a hand to her hip.

"What the hell?" He drew her closer to inspect her. There were marks on her hips – little rounded bruises scattered on either side. He brushed his fingers over the marks, then spread them wide to check the measure. Horror dawned as he realized what the bruises were. This wasn't the same as some harmless little hickey. "Fuckin' hell! I did that to you?"

She glanced down at herself and smiled. "Souvenirs."

Anger flared suddenly. "The fuck! Why the hell didn't you tell me I was hurtin' you?"

She reared back from him a bit and frowned. "You weren't. You didn't."

"Exactly what the fuck is that, then?" he demanded, gesturing at her hip. "If I didn't hurt you, then why the fuck you got bruises?"

"It's fine! If you were hurting me too much, I would have told you," She put a soothing hand on his shoulder, but he shook it off roughly.

"This is bullshit! I _ain't_ like that piece o' shit husband of yours! Ain't like my fuckin' sum'bitch daddy, neither! Beatin' on people can't fight back. Hurtin' people they should fuckin' _love_. Goddammit, _I ain't like that!_" His throat strained from the force of his shouting. With a snarl of rage, he picked up his boot and flung it as hard as he could at the nearest row of bookshelves. It hit with an unimpressive thunk, which left him more frustrated than before so he paced back and forth along the length of the long couch.

"Daryl, stop!" She stood herself in the path of his pacing, but didn't try to reach for him again. "Listen to me! You are _nothing_ like them! Either of them."

He lurched to the side to try going around her, but she sidestepped in front of him, holding out a hand this time but still not touching him.

"Please, Daryl, listen to me. You're the best man I know – the best man I've ever known in my whole life. I know you would never hurt me or anyone you care about. I trust you, but I need you to trust me on this, okay? You did _not_ hurt me last night."

"But-"

She cut him off before he could argue, this time putting a hand on his chest. "You didn't hurt me. Yes, there are bruises. But bruises don't necessarily mean hurt. What we did last night? I wouldn't change a second of it for anything in the world."

She took both of his hands in hers and ducked her head a little so she could meet his lowered eyes. "So it was a little rough – there's nothing wrong with that as long as both of us are enjoying it, and I certainly was. Please trust that I will always tell you if you're hurting me, and I want you to stop. I promise. I'm trusting you to do the same. Okay?"

He scowled as he thought over what she said. He hated that he'd bruised her, but he did trust her, and if she said it was all right, then he'd have to find a way to be all right with it, too. He nodded abruptly.

"Okay, then. Can I kiss you, or are you still too mad?" she asked.

A corner of his mouth twitched against his will. He tugged on her hands, pulling her against him, and put her hands on his shoulders before slipping his own around her waist. "Guess I'll get over it."

She smiled and leaned up to meet his mouth. Their lips moved together offering silent apology, their tongues soothing away any lingering hurt.

Pulling away slightly, he said, "Don't ever want to hurt you. I can't. Rather be dead than be that kinda man."

"I know."

Kissing him on the cheek, she moved away to pick up the clothes and water she'd gathered up before.

"Be right back."

He watched her the whole way to the double doors, admiring her ass and her aplomb in pretty much equal measure. After the show was over, he got his own clothes and water bottle and made his way out to the bathroom, where he took a piss and a whore-bath before dressing. He knew they would both smell of sex no matter how much they cleaned up out here. And even though his dick should be thoroughly exhausted after the last twelve hours, he felt a stirring as he thought about Carol walking around the prison smelling of him.

There had been stacks of flattened boxes downstairs, so after they were dressed, they went to fetch some to pack up their haul of books. They shifted everything out to sit next to the outer doors. Then they gathered up their packs and readied their weapons.

They heard nothing outside, so Daryl flipped the locks and cracked open the door, crossbow up and ready to bring to bear on any threats. He could only see one walker, so he stepped out with Carol at his back. He put down the walker before it even noticed them. Scanning the intersection, he didn't see any more threats, so he indicated the service station across the street with the hatchback parked behind it. She nodded and followed as he led the way, pausing for him to retrieve his bolt and reload. There were two more walkers behind the building. He shot one, and Carol stepped up to sink her knife into the other's eye socket.

The car was a little blue Honda, at least twenty-five years old if it was a day. But the thing was unlocked, none of the tires were flat, and the keys were tucked behind the sun visor of all fucking things. He figured there was no way in hell it could be this easy, but it started up with the first turn of the key and even had half a tank of gas. So Carol slid into the passenger seat, and they went back across the street to park in front of the library doors.

For a little dinky car, it held a surprising amount of stuff. It looked like there might be room for all this plus Asskicker's stuff, assuming they could get back to their truck again. Turning the car around, they started back down the highway toward the prison. They drove at a careful pace, eyes focused far ahead watching for the herd that had started this whole detour. They saw a few lone walkers, but no sign of the herd. They reached the truck without incident and quickly loaded the packs from the back of the truck along with the maps and everything else from the glove box.

Once they were loaded up, they left the truck behind and continued on toward home.

Still keeping a sharp eye out for the herd, he occasionally glanced over to Carol, who was quietly watching the treeline. Every time he peeked over, he felt an odd tugging in his chest. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever known. He felt like the luckiest son of a bitch ever.

Roughly half an hour later, they approached the prison gates. Daryl could see Glenn, Maggie, and Michonne prepping one of the trucks to go out. He gave a short honk of the Honda's horn and waved out the window at Carl who was manning the gate. Everyone crowded around their little car as they pulled in.

"Thank goodness you're back! We were just about to go looking for you!" Glenn said as Daryl stepped out of the driver's side.

"We were so worried!" added Maggie. "Thought this was supposed to be an easy run. What happened?"

"We ran into a herd on the way back," Carol explained. "Then the truck died on us, and we had to make a run for it."

Daryl nodded. "Holed up back in town for the night. Found us a new ride this mornin'."

"What's in the boxes?" Michonne was peering into the back of the car. "That's more than just baby formula."

"Scored big in town," Daryl said. "It was all Carol."

He glanced over the roof of the car at her, and seeing the expression on her face, he wished he could bite his tongue clean off. She was nearly quivering with suppressed laughter and the desperate effort to keep a straight face.

"Um. I mean. Uh...books. We stayed at a library, and Carol thought we should bring back books we can use. Like for herbal medicine and cannin' food and stuff." He could feel his cheeks flaming and hoped it wasn't obvious. Maggie glanced at him, then at Carol, then back to him. He fidgeted a little under her gaze and felt his eye twitch.

Michonne had popped the hatchback and was digging through the boxes. "This is some great stuff! You're a damn genius, Carol." She flashed a bright smile at the older woman.

Carol smiled and nodded, but didn't reply.

"Hey, there's wine!" Michonne called out.

"Nice!" Glenn leaned in the window to look. "How much?"

"Doesn't matter. You're not drinkin' any of it. I've been warned about letting you drink," Maggie said. Then she looked right at Dary with her eyebrows up. "So you had wine, huh?"

Daryl cleared his throat and shoved Glenn away from the window so he could slide back into the driver's seat. "I'mma take it up to unload."

Michonne crawled back out and shut the hatch, patting the roof of the car after. Daryl drove up to the inner courtyard and parked. Briefly, he closed his eyes and rested his forehead on his hands at the top of the steering wheel. Damn Maggie and her noticing things. Why did he always get so goddamn flustered? He was a grown-ass man!

He was out of the car and pulling the first of the boxes out by the time the others made it up the hill. They quickly emptied the cargo and started hauling it all inside to be sorted. Daryl left the keys with Glenn and made his way inside with the last two packs. After dumping the bags in their makeshift pantry, he hurried to his cell while trying very hard not to look like he was hurrying. Once there, he gathered up some clean clothes and headed straight for the shower. It felt like everyone could tell he'd been having mind-blowing sex all night just by looking at him, but at least he could make sure they couldn't tell by smelling him. Did Michonne just give him a wink as he walked past her leaving the cell block? Goddammit.

He was practically running by the time he reached the showers. Thankfully the room was empty and he sighed in relief at the solitude. Stripping down quickly, he pulled a towel from the pile of clean ones, went into one of the stalls, and pumped up some water. He scrubbed himself under the cool spray and tried to figure out what the hell his problem was.

While he wasn't sure exactly what Carol was to him now, things had clearly changed, and he was happy about it. So why the hell was it fucking with his head now that they were back home? He scowled thinking about Maggie's knowing look. Why should he care if people knew?

They were going to tease the shit out of him, that's why. He knew that the more flustered he got, the more shit they'd flick his way, too. Unfortunately, he knew he wasn't going to be able to NOT get flustered. He huffed in irritation, then stopped as a thought struck him.

Carol hadn't said or done anything either. Maybe _she_ didn't want people to know. It stung to think she might prefer to keep things a secret – that she might not want people thinking she would want him. They hadn't talked about any of this, and now the questions swirled in his mind. Did she want people to know? Would they tell people or just let them figure it out? Where would they sleep – would she want to move into a cell together? What exactly _were_ they? Friends wasn't enough. Boyfriend/girlfriend sounded stupid. Friends with benefits? Even worse. Partner? Significant other? Nothing was right. They were just...together. She was his woman, and he was her man. Him and Carol.

He smiled to himself at that. Just him and Carol.

The door to the shower room creaked as someone came in. Dammit. He still didn't want to face anybody.

But when he turned, it was Carol making her way over, clean clothes in a bundle, towel in hand. She stopped just outside his stall and met his eyes briefly before letting her gaze cut a searing path down his body. Hot water? Who needed it?

"Hey," she said. "Can I come in? I locked the door."

"Will you be nekkid?" he asked.

"Yup."

"Then hell yeah," he said. "I'm almost done, though."

She peeled off her clothes and stepped under the fresh spray he pumped up, shivering at the cool water. She lathered up her bar of soap and ran her hands over her shoulders and arms, leaving her skin bubbly and slick. "You sure?"

"On second thought, might still be a bit dirty."

"Mmm," she agreed. "I'm very dirty. Wash my back?"

He soaped his hands and made long, slow strokes over her back and shoulders. When he ran his thumbs down her neck, she groaned and tipped her head forward a little.

"I'm sore from sleeping on that couch," she murmured.

He pressed firmly with his thumbs as he worked the muscles on the sides of her neck, and she made appreciative noises. He made his way slowly down her body, massaging her shoulders and the long muscles along her spine, then moving down to her hips and ass. Eventually he reached around her to thoroughly soap her front as well, spending plenty of time making sure her breasts were extra clean. He pulled the chain to let her rinse off before soaping up again and kneeling down in front of her to work over her legs one at a time, starting at her feet and working up. As he worked his hands up her thigh, she reached out to the sides to brace herself on the chest-high tile walls that separated the stalls. The appreciative noises were growing in volume and beginning to echo a bit in the large room.

Soon he had nearly run out of skin than hadn't already been thoroughly rubbed down. Wanting to watch her face, he raised his eyes just as he slipped his hand right up against her between her thighs, stroking back and forth and letting his fingers find all the folds and contours there without actually penetrating. Her eyes squeezed shut, and she gasped when he made contact with her sensitive clit. She gripped the tile walls harder.

"Wait!" she cried. "I want to wait!"

He stilled his hands and looked at her questioningly.

She put her hands to his face. They were cool from the tile. Smiling her devilish smile, she kissed him and said, "I want to wait. I want to be this turned on all day. Wanna find you in corners and closets and watchtowers all day and let you bring me just to the edge over and over. I want you to know I'm wet for you all day long."

Heat rushed up his neck to his face at the thought. He nodded and let her tug him to his feet. She pulled the chain and they rinsed off. Her hands found his stiff cock, and she peered up at him coyly.

"You don't have to wait, though, if you don't want to."

He shook his head – he didn't want to wait.

"What do you want?"

Knowing she'd make him do it sooner or later, he answered. "Your mouth on me."

"You want it bad?" Her hands spanned his ribs and she pressed her belly against his erection. "You want me on my knees, sucking your cock? Right here?"

"Yeah," he ground out.

She dropped down, spreading her hands on his thighs and kneading. "Tell me. Say it."

He leaned forward to brace his hands against the tile wall, and looked down at her on her knees in front of him. Water beaded on her skin and made her eyelashes spiky. Her tongue flicked out to wet her lip, and he groaned. "Suck it, go on. Take my cock in your mouth and suck it 'til I decide you're done."

Her lips spread into a wicked grin and she wrapped her hand around the base of his shaft, pulling with gentle pressure out to the tip. She swirled her palm over the head, gathering up the pre-cum there to spread over him on the firm downstroke. Her other hand cupped his sac and gently played with his balls. He struggled to keep his breathing steady – he wanted this to last as long as possible.

She started with just her tongue, running the flat of it up the underside in a long, laving stroke, then lapping over the head and around the rim. When she finally closed her hot, wet mouth around him and sucked, he made a guttural sound deep in his throat and squeezed his eyes tight. In the beginning, she focused on his head, using her hand for most of him, but she gradually took him in deeper. Her hand and mouth moved in rhythm, her tongue adding swirling variation as she sucked.

He looked down at her, silver head bobbing as she worked him. She looked _so_ good with his cock in her mouth.

"More, yeah. Take it in, woman. Suck it!"

She brought her hand up to the head and gave him a long, firm stroke down, then opened her hand flat at the base, anchoring him and adding tension so his cock strained even harder outward. She backed off until she just had her tongue touching the end of him and flicked her eyes up to meet his. Giving him an open mouthed smile, she sank back down onto him, taking him deep into her throat. He gasped and jerked at being so deeply swallowed. The feel of her wet mouth and throat closing around him finally pushed him over, and he put a hand to the side of her head to warn her, but she didn't pull back. His balls drew up and he spurted, pumping her throat full of cum.

"Fuck! Oh, yeah, Carol, _fuck_ yeah!"

He sagged against the wall after, while she licked him clean. When she was done, she kissed her way up his body as she rose to her feet, ending at his neck just below his jaw. He pulled one hand from the wall to wrap an arm around her waist and drag her flush to him.

"Holy shit," he mumbled.

She bit his neck softly and asked, "Was that what you wanted? Did you like it?"

"God, yes." He craned his head around to find her mouth and kissed her deeply, tasting himself on her tongue and finding he didn't really mind.

They pumped up some more water, and finished their shower, caressing and fondling each other. After they were done, they dried each other off - though he made sure she didn't leave the shower completely dry. He really liked thinking of her working her kitchen shift and sitting through the council meeting later with wet panties. They dressed in their clean clothes, but before she put on her pants, he slipped a hand down the front of her underwear to make sure she was nice and slick. She squirmed and fussed as he worked her, and whimpered when he removed his hand, leaving her unsatisfied.

"You're the one wanted to wait," he reminded her.

"Maybe I changed my mind," she said, running her fingers down his arm to guide his hand back to her panties.

"Maybe too bad," he said, pulling his hand back. He smirked down at her grumpy face and passed her the clean pants she'd brought. "And no grindin' your own coffee, neither. I like thinkin' of you worked up all day."

She made a frustrated growl. "Dammit."

They finished dressing, gathered up their things, and left the showers. Carol stalked off to go start her kitchen shift, while Daryl returned to his cell to pick up his crossbow. He passed Maggie as he was leaving the cell block to head for the fences. She had a shit-eating grin on her face, but he was in far too good a mood to give a damn. He quirked an eyebrow and gave a smug half-smile back her way, making her own grin falter just a bit in surprise.

He realized he'd never asked Carol about all those questions he'd had swirling around in his head. But it didn't seem to matter so much any more. It was him and Carol. The rest was just details.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my old blue Honda that I love and miss terribly. She's still out there...somewhere.**


	5. Chapter 5

**To mvio: Your suggestion is on its way! Next chapter! This one got too long before I got there.**

**Sorry for slow-pokery on getting this chapter done. No excuses. Just slow. Plus other stories took over my brain for a bit – those will come later.**

* * *

Daryl finished his sweep of the fences, checking for damage and weak spots and giving a hand to the fence crews thinning the build up of walkers from yesterday. Recently there'd been an increase in the number of walkers clustering outside their perimeter, and they were concerned about how much the fences would be able to take. He made mental note of the areas that could use shoring up so he would remember to bring it up at the council meeting later. They would need to find or cut some lumber before they could make the repairs.

Glancing up at the sun, he thought Carol was probably still on kitchen duty, so he headed for the courtyard – their new kitchen was outdoors and large enough to handle cooking for the prison's swelling population. Sure enough, she was bustling around, juggling jars and cans, and directing the young couple who were clearly new to food preparation. He smirked and wondered if she was still walking around wet from after their shower this morning. Maybe he should go check. As he made his way across the courtyard, she had both of the new folks working at the prep table, talking them through the cleaning of small game. The two kids were doing their best not to look repulsed by what they were doing. He heard her tell them to keep cleaning the brace of squirrels on the table and to keep an eye on the stockpot of water over the fire. She picked up the large plastic tub of dishes and utensils and turned to take them back inside for washing.

He ducked quickly out of sight around the corner behind the stairs, by the herb garden tubs. As she went past, he snagged her around the waist and pulled her in close, pressing her back to his front. She squeaked in surprise, but smiled when she turned and saw it was him. The tub kept her hands full, which was perfect as far as Daryl was concerned – it left him free to do whatever he wanted. He wrapped his arms around her waist and nibbled his way up her neck until he reached her ear. Her breath hitched when he pulled her earlobe into his mouth to suck and tease with his tongue.

"Missed you," he whispered once he released her earlobe.

"It's only been – what – a couple hours since I saw you?" she murmured.

"Doesn't matter how long. Still missed you." He bit down on the side of her neck and slipped a hand up her shirt to find her breast, squeezing it through her bra.

"Daryl! We're outside!" she said, trying to worm away from him.

"So?"

"Someone will see!" Her cheeks had taken on a pink tinge.

"Mmm. You like it when people watch?" He ran his tongue over the curve of her ear and tweaked a hardened nipple. She moaned softly in spite of herself.

"Daryyyl!"

"What?" He hitched her bra down so he could reach her nipple directly, while his other hand reached down to cup her through her pants.

"Oh!" She jerked against him at his touch, making the dishes in the tub rattle. He licked his way up her neck, and she hummed her pleasure, her head dropping to the side. "Someone's going to come around that corner any second now! What'll they think?"

"They'll think you're fuckin' hot, and I'm a lucky fuckin' son of a bitch," he mumbled into her hair. Spreading his hand flat, he slipped it down the front of her pants, reaching down until his fingers found her pussy. He slid two fingers inside her, letting the base of his palm rub up against her hard little clit. She gasped and clenched her thighs together. He growled deep in his throat. "Mmm, _so_ wet! I like you bein' wet and slippery while you're walkin' around, talkin' to folks, goin' about your day."

Her breath came short and sharp, and her eyes were closed. He pinched a nipple and asked, "You gonna come for me?"

Carol nodded and hissed, "Yes, yes!"

"Damn right you are! But later." He took his hands off her and out of her clothes, stepping back a foot or so.

She blinked her eyes open and staggered half a step as he moved away. Turning her head, she gave him a pink-faced death glare. "Are you serious?"

He smirked and raised his eyebrows.

"You can NOT leave me like this! That's not fair!"

"Life ain't fair. 'Sides – you asked for it." He spread his hands wide and backed away, turning around the corner and making a cool and collected run for it. She might kill him for this later, but he was looking forward to tormenting her all day. Of course, it was a little bit of torture for him, too, as evidenced by the raging boner he currently sported. But it was worth it.

* * *

There was a supply run planned for tomorrow, so Daryl went to the courtyard behind C-Block to help Glenn check over the vehicles they'd be taking. He puttered around, checking gas tanks, oil and fluid levels, checking hoses and tires – generally making sure the cars were in the best condition they could be for the run. He let his mind wander a bit, wondering how the hell things had changed so much in just 24 short hours. He grinned to himself as he worked, unable to stop thinking about Carol.

When they were done with the cars, he went back around to the other side of C-Block. He spotted her carrying buckets down to the water pump by the lower fences. He followed behind her, walking softly. She set up her first bucket under the spigot and cranked the pump. Working the bicycle pedal pump put her ass on fine display, giving him a great view as he made his way down the slope. When he came up behind her, he helped himself to a double handful of her ass. Yelping at the unexpected touch, she jerked upright and spun around.

"Daryl! Dammit, don't sneak up on me like that!"

He stepped closer, invading her space, but not touching her. He tucked his hands in his pockets so he wouldn't give in to the temptation again. "Sorry. Hardly meant to scare you at all."

She backed up a step. "Very funny."

"So, you still nice and wet for me?" He took another step forward, looming over her more than normal since they were on a slight slope.

"Daryl!" She backed up again, but the fence prevented her from moving any farther away. "It's broad daylight! We're out in the open!"

"Are you?" He pressed forward until she was right up against the fence, but still didn't touch her.

She flushed pink under his gaze. "Yes!"

"Yes, what?"

Her cheeks went redder. "Yes, I'm wet."

"For..."

"I'm wet for you!"

"And what do you want me to do about it?" He let a hint of a smile touch his lips. This was too fun.

Her eyes narrowed a bit at his amusement, but she answered. "I want you to let me come!"

"Let you? Not make you? You gonna get yourself off while I watch? Or do you want some help?"

"...I want help."

"Tell me what you want me to do."

She squirmed, threading her fingers into the chain link behind her. "I want you to go down on me."

His dick went half hard at the thought of nuzzling into her curls. In a lust-roughened whisper, he asked, "That's what you want?"

"Yes!"

"Then that's what you're gonna get. I'm gonna spread you open and taste your sweetness. I'll fuck you with my tongue and my fingers. I'm gonna lick and suck your clit until you come so hard you cry."

She made a little whining noise, then her eyes rose to meet his. They were dark and so full of desire it brought his cock fully hard.

Glancing over his shoulder, he looked up to the guard tower where he knew someone would be on watch. "You suppose somebody's watchin' us right now? Think they know what we're talkin' about? Can they tell I'm rock hard thinkin' about eatin' you?"

Her eyes went wide and a little panicky as she looked up to the tower.

He stepped away again, stealthily shifting himself in his pants. "See you at the meeting later?"

She dragged her eyes back to him and her mouth dropped open. He turned and picked up the mostly full water bucket before heading back up the hill.

* * *

The council meeting wasn't until just before dinner, so Daryl made good use of his time by setting up a private space for them for later. Now that they were taking in so many people, D-Block was already nearly full, so they'd been working on prepping A-Block for expansion, fitting the cells with bedding and bits of furniture as they found it. It wasn't finished yet, but it had at least been cleaned, and since no one lived there yet, they could have the place to themselves for a little while.

Once he was satisfied that they would be comfortable when they finally got there, he headed up to the library for the council meeting. Everyone but Hershel was already there, including a slightly surly looking Carol. He crushed the smirk that threatened to invade his face. She'd taken a seat between Sasha and Glenn, leaving empty chairs only on the opposite side of the table. Instead of giving in and sitting on the far side, he picked up one of the empty chairs and brought it over next to her, glaring at Glenn until he scooted around the corner of the table looking offended. When he sat in his chair beside Carol, she sighed in annoyance, and he couldn't quite contain the smirk after that.

Hershel arrived soon after, and they got down to business. Each member was responsible for a different part of running the prison. Hershel was the unofficial head of the council and in charge of health and medical concerns. Carol supervised the work rotations for the prison population and education for the kids. Sasha tracked supplies and inventory, and kept the records on nearby resources for replenishment. Glenn was responsible for anything mechanical – cars, generators, lights, power, etc. If it could break, he was in charge of it. Daryl's area was the prison's security and defensibility.

They each gave a brief update for their areas, then they moved on to more specific questions needing discussion. Hershel got started talking about expanding their stock of medical equipment, and Daryl knew he'd be talking for a while. So he shifted in his chair so he could reach under the table to rest his hand on Carol's upper thigh. She shot him a look, but he kept his focus completely on Hershel. After a minute, she relaxed a bit so he started gently squeezing and rubbing her leg. She tensed up again, slipping an arm under the table and pushing at his hand, but he just tightened his grip until she gave up. Gradually, he slipped his hand farther in between her legs, massaging her inner thigh. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her squirm and shift, trying desperately to look casual. When he moved his hand higher, she sucked in a breath, and Sasha glanced over at her. Carol chewed her lip and kept her eyes on Hershel as he continued to list out all the equipment he thought they needed to acquire and why.

She was warm against his fingers. He liked to think she felt damp, too, but he knew that was probably just wishful thinking. Subtly, so the movement wouldn't be noticeable, he rubbed her there between her legs, sometimes scraping his nails over the fabric of her cargo pants. Touching her like this in a room full of people turned him on – a _lot_ – and he found himself hard again. She shifted and twitched in his hand, and his cock twitched in response.

"...from the campus. Carol, are you feelin' all right? You look a little flushed." Hershel's words brought Daryl's attention back to the room.

Carol rested her elbows on the table, covering her cheeks with her hands. "Oh, no, I'm fine! Too much sun today." Her voice was higher than usual and a little strained. Under the table, she crossed her legs and squeezed, trying to force his hand out.

"All right – you know where to find me if you change your mind." Leaning back and sweeping his eyes over the rest of the group, Hershel brought the meeting to a close. "Anyone have anything else? No? Then I think we're done for now. Let's all go get some supper!"

As chairs scraped back and people stood around the table, Daryl drew his hand back and stretched broadly. He needed a minute to let his dick settle down before heading off for food. The others drifted out of the room except for Carol, who planted her hands on the table and leaned down to glare directly at him.

"I _will_ get you back for this," she threatened in a growl.

"Promise?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and snorted before turning on her heel and stalking out of the room. He took a deep breath and stood to follow her. She was wonderfully worked up, but he didn't want her getting pissed off, so he figured he'd give her some space at dinner. Trailing after her, he made sure to take his time so he didn't end up right on her ass heading for the kitchen.

The tables were already fairly full by the time he made his way outside. He found himself a bowl of squirrel stew and a spoon and sat at one of the emptier tables. Carol was sitting with Maggie, Glenn, and Beth who had Judith several tables over, but he had a clear view of her from where he was. He watched her – he'd always liked watching her. She was so open and friendly with everyone around her, not just their close family. He was a little envious of the easy way she dealt with the people stopping to say hi or ask questions or beg favors. All the children made their way over to her either on their way in or their way out. She hugged every one of them.

Not long after he'd started watching, she glanced his direction, causing her to stumble mid-sentence in her conversation with Maggie. She recovered quickly, but kept flicking her eyes back to him through the rest of the meal, checking to see if he was still watching. He'd really meant to give her some space, but it seemed it wasn't helping. So instead, he made sure that he was always looking every time she glanced over. And as he finished his stew, he also made sure to lick his fingers clean when he knew she would see. She turned away abruptly, which made him smirk until he noticed that Maggie was watching him, too. Damn woman saw everything. He nodded briefly to her and saluted with his spoon as he stood up to go drop his dishes in the tub.

He knew Carol almost always brushed her teeth right after dinner, so he grabbed his own toothbrush and headed for the bathroom. After quickly scrubbing his teeth, he stashed his toothpaste and brush to pick up later. Then he waited.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Carol appeared, toothbrush in hand, and parked herself in front of the sink. She started brushing and had a good mouthful of foam by the time she raised her eyes to the mirror to see him lurking behind her. Her whole body jerked at the surprise and she howled around her toothbrush at him.

"_Dammit_, Daryl!" She spit most of the foam out into the sink and turned to scowl at him. She pointed the toothbrush at him threateningly. "I told you not to sneak up on me!"

He held up his hands in front of him. "I didn't sneak! I was here first!"

"Well you were hiding, then."

"I was waiting. That ain't the same."

She growled in frustration and went back to brushing her teeth.

He stepped up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist, meeting her eyes in the mirror. She tried to keep glaring, but her eyes softened as he held her, and she eventually rested her free hand on his arm. Looking their reflection up and down, Daryl decided they looked good together. They looked like they belonged, and that made him happy.

She finished brushing and leaned forward to spit and rinse, wiping her mouth on her sleeve after. Turning in his arms to face him, she asked, "So what were you waiting for?"

"You, obviously."

Rolling her eyes, she specified, "But why?"

"Thought maybe since you clearly ain't an exhibitionist, maybe you'd wanna come with me somewhere private?"

"I like the sound of that." Then she squinted at him suspiciously. "Are you just going to leave me hanging again?"

"Wasn't plannin' on it, no."

She smiled and pulled him down for a smoldering kiss. "Then I _really_ like the sound of that!"

He took her hand and led her out of the bathroom, down through the tombs, to come out in A-Block. It used to be death row, so it wasn't set up quite the same as the other cell blocks. It was darker, and there were cells on both sides of the room. He'd chosen one that already had a new mattress and bedding as well as a little bit of furniture. As they entered the cell, he lit the many candles he'd brought earlier so they would still be able to see once they lost the little bit of daylight left. He'd also brought in a couple handfuls of wildflowers in mason jars, plus he'd stashed one of the bottles of wine from the root cellar.

"Wanted someplace a little more comfortable than a root cellar or a library, and more private than C. This block won't be empty long, but we can use it for now."

"This is perfect!" she smiled her amazing smile up at him, making his belly flutter like it always did.

She picked up the wine bottle and held her hand out to him. He fished the multi-tool from his pocket and handed it over. As she pulled the cork, he picked up the empty jars he'd brought to serve as wine glasses. She poured each one about half full, then held hers out. He clinked his jar against hers, and they both downed a good gulp. She sat on the edge of the bunk and patted the mattress next to her, inviting him to sit. They rested there together in silence for a few minutes, just sipping their wine.

Finally, she leaned a bit to bump his shoulder with hers. "You know, this was possibly the longest day of my life. You jerk."

He snorted. "Ain't my fault! I's just followin' orders. 'Sides, it's fun as hell watchin' you squirm."

She turned on him with a piercing look. "Oh my god... I've created a monster."

For a split second, his gut clenched, fearing he'd done something wrong – taken things too far or pushed too much. But then he saw the twinkle behind her eyes and realized she was just teasing. Leaning over to set his mostly empty wine jar on the floor, he said, "Something you should know about monsters."

She raised her eyebrows, waiting. He took her jar and set it next to his, then he turned to her, twisting his fingers into the neckline of her shirt and pulling her close. Letting his lips hover just above hers, he murmured, "They're always there, waiting for the chance to eat you up."

His other hand gripped the back of her neck, pulling her to him for a hungry kiss. She dove for his mouth, the long day of frustration fueling a ferocity that was breathtaking. She plunged her tongue in deep, moaning into his mouth. Her arms wrapped around him, hands groping, fingers digging into him even through the leather of his vest. She flung a leg over him to straddle his lap, and he brought his hands to her hips as she ground herself against him. Bringing her hands up to his head, she wound her fingers into his hair and pulled tight. Her eyes gleamed as she held his face right in front of hers, panting into his mouth.

"Monster's got his chance. What's he gonna do about it?" she demanded.

A grin spread across his face. He wrapped an arm around her waist and flipped them over, so she was perched on the edge of the bunk, and he knelt on the floor in front of her.

"Monster's gonna eat you up good." Gripping her upper thighs, he leaned in to bite his way up the side of her neck. Her grip on his hair tightened, making his dick throb against his pants. He eased back from her, slipping his hands to her belt. "Take off your shirt. I want you naked."

As he unfastened her belt, she peeled off her shirt and bra, baring her gorgeous little tits to him. He abandoned her belt in favor of her breasts, cupping them in both hands and leaning in to taste them. She moaned and pushed into him, threading her fingers into his hair again and letting her head drop down over his. He sucked and nipped at the stiff tips and scruffed his face back and forth between the swell of her breasts. Her thighs clamped down around his middle, reminding him that she was only half naked.

Leaving his mouth to tease her nipples, his hands skimmed down her body to finish unfastening her pants. Pulling back, he moved to take off her boots one at a time. She took the opportunity to wiggle her pants down over her hips so she could strip them off as soon as the boots were gone. He leaned farther back to help her, pulling at her cargoes so they ended up inside out in a tangle behind him on the floor. And finally she was properly naked in front of him. That strange tug in his chest happened again as he looked at her, so incredibly beautiful in the soft candlelight.

He let his hands rest on her knees, making slow circles on her skin with his thumbs. Then he caressed the length of her thighs all the way up, pushing her knees wide apart on the way back down. Her breath was uneven as she watched him spread her open with his thumbs. Her folds glistened in the flickering light, she was already so wet.

Starting at one knee, he kissed his way up her inner thigh, loving the way the long muscle of her leg quivered as he nuzzled her. Stopping before he reached the top, he started over at the other knee, licking and nipping up the other thigh. She whimpered a little and strained toward him as he made his way up. He paused for an instant, her scent making him dizzy with want – he couldn't wait to taste her any more. He licked her deeply in one long, laving stroke, and she gasped, dropping her head back and bracing herself on her hands behind her. He kept his palms kneading her inner thighs, pushing her open wide. He lapped and nibbled at her lips, then buried his face in her, fucking her with his tongue as deep as he could. Moaning, she squirmed and shivered under him, hands clenched into white-knuckled fists in the bedding.

"Yes! God, that feels good!"

Replacing his tongue with his fingers, he thrust into her, looking for the spot that made her writhe under him. He moved his mouth up to cover her clit, sucking steadily and teasing the nub itself with the flat of his tongue. She cried out and bucked against him, forcing him to hold her hips down with his other hand, but never letting up with his mouth or fingers.

"Oh, God, don't stop! Oh, fuck! Don't stop, please!"

She dropped back onto her elbows and arched up, going rigid under him, and keening her pleasure. "Oh, Daryl, I'm coming – God, I'm coming! Oh, holy _fuuuuck_!"

She howled as her muscles clenched tight around his fingers. He sucked harder at her as she crested the peak, then gave her clit one last long sweep of the tongue before he pulled his fingers from her. She shuddered and moaned as he licked at her gushing wetness, lapping her up clean.

She lay sprawled on her back, panting and quivering as he licked and sucked along her thighs again. The scruff of his beard had left her skin red and sensitive. He sat back, pulling the cloth from his back pocket to wipe his face. Then he scooped her legs up and shifted her on the bunk, arranging her so he could lay next to her. Curling one arm around her, he drew her close to his side so her head was on his shoulder. She flung one leg bonelessly over his thigh and slipped her arm around his middle, burrowing her nose into his neck. He brushed her sweaty hair back from her forehead so he could plant a kiss there.

"Worth the wait?" he murmured.

She groaned wordlessly, and he chuckled, as that was apparently the only answer he was going to get.

"Gonna fall asleep on me?" he asked.

"Mmmmm," was all she had to say.

He was pleased with himself for leaving her incapable of speech. It made warmth spread through him, swelling in his chest.

"I love you." It came out without thought or intent. But as soon as he said it, he knew it was true.

Her breath caught, and she tensed in his arms, though she didn't move.

His belly flittered nervously and his cheeks were warm, but he didn't want to take it back. So instead of making a big deal out of it one way or the other, he just kissed her damp hair again and stroked her arm with his thumb. Eventually she relaxed into him again and was still so long, he thought she'd fallen asleep.

But then he heard her whisper, "I love you, too."

And his heart sang.


	6. Chapter 6

**This is only half a chapter, really – it was planned to be twice as long, but I'm giggling so hard, I had to put up just this much right now. This one's for mvio, who had a request. The fallout will happen whenever I get the next chapter up.**

**Disclaimer: Oh my god, blah blah blah, I don't own any of this stuff.**

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"_I love you, too," she whispered._

She loves me, he thought.

She loves me!

Though neither of them moved, his heart thundered against his ribs and he felt lightheaded. No one had ever loved him in his life except his momma, and that had ended when he was just eight years old. Merle, maybe, too, but he'd always had a fucked up way of showing it. Love was just not a part of his experience.

And now there was this woman who'd come into his life purely by chance and tragedy. Carol had become his friend, despite his best efforts to keep her away. And slowly she'd become more than just a friend – she was the person he relied on to be there for him, the one he looked for at the end of the day. She was his touchstone. He'd been happy with that, just knowing someone important to him actually gave a shit. If he'd wanted more than that, he was content just to dream about it. But then they went on this run, and with everything that had happened since Carol first spotted that cellar door...discovering she wanted him as much as he wanted her made his head reel. He'd been attracted to her almost since the beginning, and had no idea when that attraction had turned to love. All he knew now was that he did love her, with an intensity he hadn't known was humanly possible.

And the miraculous part of all this was that she loved him back.

He pressed his cheek to the top of her head and closed his eyes. She started moving her fingers against his waist, back and forth, then in circles. Slipping her hand under the stiff leather of his vest, she rubbed long strokes over his chest through the fabric of his shirt. His dick was resting at half mast, and it stirred when she grazed her nails over his nipple. The problem with teasing her all day was he ended up just as frustrated as her, so now he ached like a bitch and the slightest touch from her zapped straight to his groin. When her fingers slipped under the hem of his shirt to brush along the skin just above his belt, he grunted as his cock surged to full attention.

"Why do you have clothes on?" she murmured thickly. "Take them off. I want to touch your skin."

Sitting up in a hurry, he fumbled with his boots. She sat up behind him, pressing close with her cheek against his back. Her hands snaked around him to work on his belt buckle, nearly driving him senseless as the movements rubbed his pants against his erection. Abandoning his boots for the moment, he gripped her hands in one of his, stilling their efforts at his waistband. He shifted her hands up to his shirt instead.

"Unbutton," he said.

Her nimble little fingers worked the buttons of his shirt, starting at the bottom and moving up. He went back to his boots, pulling them off and tossing them aside.

Her lips brushed against the edge of his ear as she whispered, "Get up."

They stood face to face in the candlelight. Her hands slid up to part the fabric of his open shirt, pushing it back to bare his chest. She leaned to press her nose against him, inhaling deeply.

"God, you smell so good!"

He reached to wrap his arms around her, but she caught his hands and pushed them down to his sides. Shaking her head, she said, "No, I get to touch you now."

Spreading her hands over his chest, she explored every bit of skin she could find. She bit down on his collarbone, following it with a stroke of her tongue. Her fingers danced over his ribs and smoothed over his shoulders and pecs. She licked at the hollow of his shoulder, beneath the collarbone, making him shiver in pleasure at a place he didn't know he liked to be touched. He groaned when she moved her mouth to his nipple and sucked, teasing with her tongue.

She pushed at his clothes until the shirt and vest dropped to the floor behind him, and her hands smoothed down the length of his arms, fingers swirling over the planes of muscle.

"I love your arms," she purred in between kisses across his chest. "So strong and beautiful. Those sleeveless shirts of yours? God, do you know what they do to me? I watch you and imagine you holding yourself over me with your arms flexing as you fuck me... Don't you ever give up your sleeveless lifestyle, you hear me?"

With firm movements that brooked no argument, she unfastened his belt and pants. "You're going to fuck me right now – pick me up and take me hard against the bars."

She shoved at his pants, pushing them down enough to release his straining cock. He grabbed her wrists and held them as he backed her up against the cell bars, pressing his body against hers. Spreading her arms out and up, he wrapped her hands around the bars behind her as he rumbled into her ear.

"Best hang on tight, then. This is gonna be a rough ride."

In response, she bit his neck, just under his ear. Grabbing her by the ass, he scooped her up to wrap her legs tightly around his waist. He dug his fingers into her flesh as he groped her ass and thighs. Shaking her teeth from his neck, he captured her mouth with his, kissing her hard, biting her lower lip and driving in deep, overpowering her tongue with his own.

"You want me to fuck you?" he grunted as he moved one hand in to help his cock find its way. "Imma fuck you six ways from Sunday, and you ain't gonna know which way is up, time I'm done fuckin' you."

He thrust into her hard, sinking himself into her completely. A rough, guttural growl tore its way out of him as he entered her. "Goddammit, you're so fuckin' hot, so tight! Gonna make me come 'fore I even get started!"

Knowing he really wouldn't last long after the long day of teasing, he moved, driving into her hard, making every thrust count. He shifted his grip on her so he could bring his thumb to her clit, hoping like hell he could get her there before he lost it. Judging from the increased volume of her cries, she was close.

"You're so beautiful pressed up against those bars, takin' my cock so deep inside! Fuckin' come for me, woman!"

"Ohhh, God!" she screamed as she clamped her legs down on his waist. "Jesus, yes!" She bucked against him as she shook, coming hard and loud around him.

He abandoned her clit to get a better grip on her thrashing body, feeling his balls tighten as her orgasm drove him toward his own. A couple more ragged thrusts and he found his own long release, groaning as he absolutely filled her with his cum. As he rode the last of the waves of pleasure, his eyes rolled open. Over Carol's shoulder, his gaze locked with another set of eyes in the cell block's entrance.

Standing just inside the main doorway holding a wooden chair piled with a stack of bedding was Maggie. Though her eyes were wide and there were high spots of color on her cheeks, she didn't look surprised or shocked so much as...interested. She blinked when she realized he'd seen her, then quietly put down the chair and disappeared.

Carol released the bars and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, oblivious to their fly on the wall. She nuzzled into his throat, licking and nibbling. The sensation clashed with the shock he felt at catching Maggie watching them. He let his softening dick slip from Carol's body and turned them, easing her to the bunk and flopping down to the mattress next to her after shucking his pants. She rolled to drape herself over him like a blanket.

Daryl absently stroked her back as he tried to figure out what the fuck just happened. He hadn't imagined it – the chair she'd left was still there. Maggie had been watching them have sex. How long had she been there? How much did she see? He considered whether he should tell Carol. She'd been so distressed earlier by the idea of being caught in public, he was afraid she might freak the fuck out. Maybe he should keep it to himself for now.

"You okay?" Carol's voice brought his attention back where it should be. "What're you thinking about so hard?"

"Nothin'," he replied, dropping one hand down to squeeze her butt.

Would Maggie tell Glenn? He got suddenly nervous at the thought. If Glenn found out, then Daryl might as well parade himself naked through the prison with 'I'M FUCKING CAROL' tattooed across his ass. But then he came back to the question of why he should give a shit if people knew. He loved Carol, and Carol loved him, and that made him proud as a goddamn peacock. Who wouldn't be proud to have such an amazing woman claim him? Ah, hell. What's one more tattoo?

She pushed up so she could give him a look. "Seriously? You're nothin'-ing me? You're all tense about something, and don't try to tell me you're not! I can feel you thinking!" Her teasing tone dropped into something more serious. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

He framed her face in his hands, brushing his thumbs over her lightly freckled cheeks. "Hell, no. Just...thinkin' about how different it's gonna be. Ain't no way people won't notice, since I expect to be makin' out with you in every corner, cupboard, and closet I can catch you in."

She smiled and turned to kiss his thumb. Folding her hands on his chest, she rested her chin on her hands. "Does it bother you if people know?"

"Naw," he replied honestly. "Just take a little gettin' used to is all."

"You'll tell me if you feel uncomfortable about anything, right?" she asked.

"Yeah." He paused a moment before adding, "You know, we could skip over the awkward rumor phase if we just share a cell. Then there ain't no need for rumors, cuz everybody'd know we're shackin' up."

"Is that what this is? Pardon me while I swoon from the romance of it all."

He snorted. "Stop."

She got up from the bed to put out the many candles. As she worked, she asked, "Your cell or mine? I'm fine either way."

"Yours. I ain't got as much shit to move."

Laughing, she grabbed one of the blankets from the foot of the bed and pulled it up over them as she lay down beside him. "Fine, my cell it is."

"Nope. _Our_ cell it is."

Putting a hand to his cheek, she turned his head to kiss him softly. Then she snuggled her head into his shoulder, getting settled for sleep. "I love you."

His heart skipped. He didn't think he'd ever get used to hearing it.

"Love you, too."

Way he felt now, he wouldn't care if the whole fucking prison was watching them.

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**A/N: Any other requests?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ooooookey dokey! This one's a little light on the smut, but there's plenty of awkward to be found. Mvio, here's your payoff. A suggestion from TheRealSonia and comments by Surplus Imagination, marybethorama, needysaurusrex, and CindyKay (and probably others) are all touched on here. Vickih and MikyMowse, we've set you up for next time (orrrrr maybe the time after)!**

**Almost forgot! Huge thanks to EnglishPoet18 for helping me over a sticky spot.  
**

**Disclaimer: Disclaimers are boring. I do not own or profit from The Walking Dead. zzzzzzz**

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They slept in later than either of them normally would have, if today were a normal day. But as Daryl drifted into wakefulness, he realized that from now on, this _would_ be a normal day. He'd have to make sure neither of them were ever on the schedule for early morning shifts, because waking up like this was nice. Luckily, he had a bit of pull with the mistress of scheduling.

He was sprawled on his stomach, face half mashed into the pillow. Carol had apparently been awake for a while. She was sitting up, leaned onto one arm while the other hand made long stroking passes down his back, over his ass, and halfway down the back of his thighs. Each stroke encouraged the half-hearted erection he'd awakened with.

"That feels good," he mumbled into the pillow.

"You're awake," she said, as though he somehow didn't know that.

"Kinda."

"I need to go soon. And you have a run today, right?" Her hand moved with more pressure, her thumb digging in to the long muscles along his spine, making him groan.

"Yeah. The strip mall we were already goin' for, plus the hardware place to get lumber for reinforcing the fences."

His heart kicked up a notch when he felt her warm breath on his low back. Laying soft kisses as she went, she worked her way up his spine, slipping one leg over to straddle him. Her warm thighs squeezed his hips as she crawled along his body. He sucked in a sharp breath when he felt her breasts brushing over his back. She reached his ear and gave it a nip.

"Be careful out there. Come back to me," she murmured.

His cock throbbed as she settled back on him – he could feel the heat of her pussy press against him, just above his ass. Good as it felt to have her touching him, he needed to get his hands on her. Dragging his arms out from under the pillow, he rolled onto his back beneath her. He palmed her thighs, squeezing gently.

"Ain't nothin' out there can keep me from comin' back to you."

Leaning forward to brace herself on her arms, she brought her lips to his, gently but thoroughly claiming his mouth. Pulling back slightly, she gazed into his eyes, and he could see fear there. "Be careful anyway."

Then she smiled and rocked her hips back, grinding herself down the length of his cock, making him forget all about the fear he saw. His own hips lifted automatically, and he dug his fingers into her thighs. They continued the rocking rhythm, making them both slick. He swept his hands up to her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over the nipples until they were stiff and pebbled. She arched forward into his hands with a breathy whimper. God, the noises this woman made were enough to drive him wild.

Dropping his hands to her hips, he shifted his angle under her, seeking entrance to her body. Tilting her hips, she helped him find his way, and when she sank down onto him, he groaned. Bracing her hands against his chest, she started to move, sliding herself slowly along his length. He kneaded his fingers into her ass as she moved.

"Touch yourself," he said. It was out of his mouth before it even registered as a thought. "I want to see you do it while you're riding my cock."

A slow smile broke over her face, and her hands trailed from his chest and up along her flexing thighs. Flattening her hands, she dragged them up her body until they were under her breasts, pushing them up and in. Jesus, she was gorgeous. Her thumbs pinched down on her nipples, harder than he would have expected, and she closed her eyes. Her movements on him got a little faster, more aggressive. Humming a sigh, she rolled her head to the side and back as she squeezed her breasts and tweaked the nipples.

"You're so beautiful!"

When she opened her eyes, they were dark and hungry and focused intently on his face. She dropped one hand down to slip her fingers between them, feeling him sliding in and out of her, leaving her other hand to tease her breasts.

"I love when you watch me – you make me _feel_ beautiful. I love the feel of you moving inside me, so long and thick, filling me all the way up!" Her words made his breath catch and his rocking rhythm falter briefly.

She spread her lips at the front of her slit, exposing her hooded clit. Her slick fingers worked circles there, and she began to pant and whimper. Her eyes never left his. She rode him hard as she approached her climax. He could feel a tremor starting in her movements, and he gripped her thighs, encouraging her.

"Come on! Do it for me!"

"Come with me! Come with me, Daryl, please! So close!"

Taking control of her hips, he lifted her slightly so he could drive up into her hard and fast, bringing himself to the edge with her, so that when her muscles clenched down on him, it sent him over, too. He wrapped one arm around her hips, holding her tightly to him as his body curled in, cock pulsing hard.

The tension fell away from their bodies, and she sagged forward to rest against him. They lay together, breathing hard with sweat cooling on their skin. She slipped off him to curl up at his side.

He thought he might have dozed off again because he was startled when she spoke. "I need to get up now, but I don't want you to get upset. I'm pretty sure I have bruises from the cell bars last night, but if I do, they're not bad bruises, okay? You didn't hurt me."

For a second he hesitated, anxiety rippling through him at the thought of having handled her so roughly again. It made him sick to his stomach thinking that people might see her bruises and think the worst of him. He trusted her enough to believe her when she said she wasn't hurt, but other people wouldn't know that. And seeing her hurt – even if she said it was okay – was painful. Grudgingly he nodded. He wouldn't get upset.

She swung her feet to the floor and leaned over to start collecting her clothes from where they'd been scattered last night. He took in a rough breath. Two long, narrow sections spaced evenly a few inches on either side of her spine were bruised, with the deepest discolorations where the strips crossed the edges of her shoulder blades. Reaching out, he trailed his fingers the length of the marks.

"Jesus. Does it hurt?"

"It's tender, but I'm fine. I promise."

Sitting up more, he leaned to place gentle kisses on each set of marks. Then he rested his forehead on the back of her shoulder and circled an arm around her waist. "I dunno if I can be okay with this. Those ain't little nothin' bruises, and I'm the one put 'em there."

She turned to find his mouth for a kiss. "If you promise to try and be okay with some bruises sometimes, then I promise to be better about making sure they don't happen. Deal?"

Sighing, he nodded. "Deal."

Both of them sorted through the mess on the floor to track down all their clothes. They'd definitely missed breakfast by now and would be getting a late start on their day's duties. Once they were dressed, they shoved all the candles in a dresser drawer and stashed the wine behind the bunk, with the hope that they'd be able to get away for some privacy here soon.

They headed back toward C-Block, going their separate ways with a quick kiss once they got near the library. Carol went to work on scheduling again, and Daryl fetched his crossbow to go check and reset the snares in the nearby woods.

As he walked into the cell block, Glenn passed by him, grinning widely and raising up a hand for a high-five.

"Way to go, man!" he laughed.

Daryl glared at him as he continued past, leaving Glenn hanging with his hand hovering in the air. "Fuck off."

Damn Maggie and her big damn mouth.

While he was definitely okay with people knowing he and Carol were...something...now, he didn't love the idea of everyone talking about it all over the prison. This was going to be a long-ass day.

Ducking into his cell, he snagged his crossbow and paused, looking around the small space. He really didn't have much shit to move. Once he was back from the run later, he'd gather it up and drop it off at his new cell. Their cell.

Slinging the weapon over his shoulder, he went to their stores to pick up some wire in case he needed to completely replace a snare. On his way out, he passed Beth carrying Judith. She looked everywhere but at him. Her cheeks were pink and her voice was high and sharp.

"Morning," she said as she hurried past.

In the common room, Hershel and Tyreese were deep in discussion at one of the the tables, but when Daryl came in, Hershel called out to him to wait a second. Getting to his feet was still a bit awkward for him on his new prosthetic, but he made it up and walked over to Daryl, drawing him off to the other side of the room.

"I just talked to Honey this morning – you remember Honey McCarty? As it turns out, we're gonna be welcoming a new addition to the prison in about seven months! On the next few runs, I need you to keep an eye out for prenatal vitamins. I know it's a long shot for today, but if you see some, pick them up."

Daryl nodded, relieved that he just wanted to talk shop.

But then Hershel put a hand on Daryl's shoulder and smiled. "I'm mighty happy for you, son."

With a familiar pat to the shoulder, Hershel turned to get back to his discussion with Tyreese, who was waiting patiently at their table, wearing a sly grin and nodding subtly Daryl's way. Setting his jaw, Daryl continued on his way outside.

Unfortunately he wasn't safe outside, either. Sasha was working her kitchen shift wearing an expression identical to Ty's – it was surprising how much it made them look alike. Rick had been sitting at one of the tables finishing a late breakfast, but was now making his way toward him. Daryl kept going. If Rick wanted to give him shit, he'd have to do it walking.

"Mornin'. I've been thinkin' about expanding our pigpen. You're headed for a lumber place today, right?" he asked as he hurried to catch up.

Sliding his eyes suspiciously to the side to eye the man, he said, "Yeah..."

"We got plenty of scrap wood, but we're runnin' down a bit on hardware. Could you make a pass through the hardware aisle and grab a whole mess of nails and screws of all sizes?"

"...a'right."

Rick stopped walking, assured of getting what he needed. "Thanks! Galvanized if they got it, but I guess you know that. I hear you're plenty good with screws."

Daryl stopped dead and turned back to fix him with a venomous glare.

Rick's mouth twisted as he fought back laughter. "And nailin' things."

Bristling, Daryl stepped back up to put his face a few inches from Rick's. "Mind your words. That 'thing' I been nailin' is the woman I fuckin' love, so you'd best keep it respectful or I'll beat your face into the ground."

Without waiting for a reaction, he turned on his heel and escaped down the hill, headed for the gate. Glancing up, he spotted Maggie in the watchtower. His eye twitched as he changed direction again to home in on the source of his problems. He stomped up the stairs to the tower and flung the trapdoor open, but was disappointed to see she wasn't cowering meekly in guilt, but instead leaning on the railing looking out over the treeline.

"Sooooooo, what's new?" she asked.

"What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?"

"Ain't nothing wrong with me." Glancing over and grinning broadly, she added, "Nothin' wrong with you, either."

He felt heat creep up his face. "Jesus, Maggie, what the hell?"

She laughed. "Sorry, it's the lack of entertainment, I think. I can't help myself."

"You sure as hell helped yourself to an eyeful last night."

"Yeah, well, you two were putting on quite the show. Like I said, lack of entertainment." She paused as he glared. "What? It was a nice view!"

He huffed in irritation. "Mind your own damn business next time! We ain't a fuckin' sideshow."

She finally shifted her rifle on her shoulder and turned to face him, leaning on the railing. "Relax! You're gonna have to suffer through the teasin' short-term – a day or two tops, then they'll all move on. Really, I did you a favor!"

"I'll just drop my thank you card in the mail, then."

She smiled – a genuine smile this time. "Everyone's just happy for you is all. It's been a long time comin'."

"Well, you would know."

Maggie broke into laughter as he stalked back to the trapdoor. He could still hear her by the time he made it back down to the yard.

Anxious to get the hell away from the prison for a while, Daryl set the bird to distract the nearby walkers and Carl let him out the front gate. Fortunately, there weren't many geeks this morning. The fence crews had thinned them out pretty well the day before and the numbers hadn't built back up yet. He took off at a trot for the treeline, not wanted to hang around long enough to attract any unwanted attention.

The hour and a half he spent in the woods did wonders for his mood. There were several hares and a possum caught up in the traps. As he restrung each snare, he considered that Maggie might actually be a little bit right, fucked up as it was. Everyone knew now, so it would be old news by tomorrow – nothing had a faster expiration date than gossip in a group as small as this.

By the time he returned to the prison, there were more walkers clustered at the fences again, but only a few near the gates. He gave a sharp whistle to alert Carl to his approach, so the heavy metal gates they'd recently rigged up were opening by the time he reached them. Glancing up, he saw that Mike from Decatur was on watch now, which meant Maggie was off god knows where stirring up more trouble. Resigned, he trudged his way up the hill to the courtyard. As he dropped the game off at the kitchen, he noticed a couple of the women from Woodbury watching him with sullen faces, and wondered who pissed in their cornflakes.

He figured he'd better check in with Carol to see how bad she was getting chewed up by the rumor mill and say goodbye before leaving on the run. So he headed for the library, hoping she was still there hammering out the schedule. He was treated to several knowing smirks and a wolf whistle along the way. His good mood from being out in the woods was rapidly eroding. But when he arrived, everything was immediately better. He leaned on the door frame and watched her briefly, much as he had two days ago before their trip to the day care. Glancing around the room at the book stacks, he realized he might be developing a library fetish, because he was suddenly horny as hell.

Stepping into the room, he greeted her. "Hey."

"Hey," she replied, smiling brightly.

"Survivin' the shit storm?" he said as he approached her table and perched on the edge of it next to her.

Puzzled, she asked, "What do you mean? What shit storm?"

"Oh..."

Her eyes narrowed. "What's going on?"

Avoiding her gaze, he scrutinized the hangnail on his thumb. "Well...seems Maggie saw us last night in A-Block."

"_What_?"

"...and now the whole prison knows about it. I been dealin' with assholes givin' me shit all morning."

"Maggie saw us. She _saw_ us? Oh my god, when? How much did she see?"

He shrugged, still focused on his thumbnail. "A lot."

"Oh, god!" she groaned.

"I'm pretty sure she didn't share out any details."

Scowling, she punched him half-heartedly in the leg. "But she _has_ details! I'm never going to be able to look her in the face again!"

Catching her hand, he gave it a tug, pulling her up out of the chair and into his arms. She resisted for just a moment before relaxing into his embrace and slipping her arms around his neck. He pressed a kiss to her temple. "It'll be okay. Shit'll all blow over soon enough. Won't be fresh gossip for long."

"I don't care if people know we're together. Hell, I'll wear a sign! But knowing Maggie saw us doing..._that_?" She made a whining noise that would do any spoiled kid proud.

Grinning, he pulled back to look her in the eye. "Maggie's jus' jealous. Lookin' for pointers, I expect."

"Ha ha. Hilarious." The sarcasm dripped like honey.

He dropped his mouth to hers, kissing her until she softened and kissed him back, murmuring little happy noises that made his belly flip.

"Gotta head out – leavin' soon on the run," he said.

"Be careful. Come back to me."

The intensity behind the words surprised him. "I will. You stay safe."

She smiled softly. "Nine lives."

After another quick kiss, he eased away, squeezing her hands before leaving the library to go join the others gathering in the courtyard behind C-Block.

They were taking two vehicles – the big pickup for hauling lumber and the little blue Honda he and Carol had brought back. They needed more people than could ride in the cab of the truck, and the little car used less gas than anything else they had. Once they had loaded their supplies, and checked their lists and weapons, they piled into the vehicles and headed out the gate. Daryl drove the pickup with Glenn, and Michonne drove the Honda with Tyreese in the passenger seat and Sasha in the back. Daryl would never say it to his face, but Ty looked hilarious squashed into that tiny little car.

They'd driven a few miles down the road before it occurred to him that Glenn was uncommonly quiet, especially so considering the teasing he would have expected. For a minute, he just appreciated the silence, but then figured there must really be something bothering him to keep him so subdued.

Knowing he would probably regret it, he prodded the young man beside him. "What's eatin' your ass, ya so damn quiet?"

Glenn kept his eyes on the road ahead of them. "Nothing."

Shrugging, Daryl decided he'd done his duty, and settled back to enjoy the quiet drive.

But after about two minutes of precious silence, Glenn blurted out, "Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask. Ain't gonna guarantee an answer."

"What exactly do you do when you and Carol have sex?"

Slamming on the brakes, he and Glenn both lurched forward as the truck slewed to a stop. Behind them, the Honda screeched and swerved to avoid them.

"What the fuckin' hell kinda question is that?" Daryl demanded, glaring at Glenn, face red and fists clenched around the steering wheel. Jesus! Were there no limits to the embarrassing bullshit today?

Next to them, Michonne beeped the car's horn and made a wide-eyed 'what the fuck' gesture. Daryl waved an apology and started the pickup moving down the highway again.

Glenn had shrunk down into the seat, his own face flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry. It's just...Maggie said something..."

"I ain't talkin' about this."

"She said-"

"I don't wanna know what she said! I ain't talkin' about this!"

Glenn appeared to deflate, sinking down so low he could barely peer over the dash to the road ahead. After a few minutes of him wallowing in misery, Daryl rolled his eyes.

"Aw, for fuck's sake! _What_? What did she say?"

"It's more what she didn't say..."

"Jesus H. Christ! What _didn't_ she say then?" He was sure he was going to murder Glenn before this run was over.

"She kept saying how it was super intense, and how hot you guys were, and how turned on she was. Uh, sorry. TMI?"

Daryl gritted his teeth, feeling his neck flush hot. "TMI."

"But she didn't say what you guys were doing that she liked so much. And I just started worrying maybe I wasn't...you know...doing things right. And I thought maybe you'd tell me?"

"Fuck me," Daryl grumbled.

"Fine, just forget it! Pretend I didn't ask." He went back to staring out the window.

Relieved to let the subject go, Daryl tried to focus on the road again, but couldn't get it out of his head that Maggie thought watching him and Carol was hot. He was more than a little uncomfortable with the realization that it kinda turned him on. Okay, turned him on a lot. He shifted on the seat, trying to convince his dick to calm the fuck down. For a day that started off so nicely, it was turning out to really suck.

Without looking over at him, he sighed and gave Glenn the best answer he had. "Talk to her."

"What?"

"Ask her what she wants. Then give it to her. That's what we do – figure out what we want and then do it."

"Just...ask?" Glenn asked uncertainly.

Daryl shrugged. "I wasn't sure at first, either. Turns out it's pretty nice."

"Did you ask for that hickey yesterday?"

"Fuck you."

They were approaching the home improvement store they'd planned to hit, so their attention shifted to the task at hand. After backing the truck up to the lumber yard, everyone went into the place in one big group to clear it. It took the better part of an hour to go through the whole building and the yard. Once they felt fairly confident it was clear, Sasha took her list inside to go shopping while the other four loaded 4"x4"s into the bed of the truck. When they finished, they joined Sasha to get the rest. Daryl made sure to load an entire pack with nothing but galvanized nails and screws for Rick. It weighed a fucking ton, and he couldn't wait to throw it at his skinny ass.

After they had the lumber and hardware they needed, they drove the few miles to the strip mall. They pulled the truck up near one end of the building, and the little car pulled up behind them, spilling out its passengers. There were no walkers in sight.

The strip mall contained a few things pretty much useless to them like a low budget car insurance place and a roachy frozen yogurt place. But it also had several other shops that could potentially provide them with a wide range of useful stuff. Daryl sent Glenn to work with Sasha and Tyreese. The three of them headed for the far end of the mall to start with a little clothing boutique. Daryl and Michonne started at the other end at the little stop-and-rob. Though she usually gave him a raft of crap about most everything, she seemed to sense he'd had enough for one day and thankfully didn't harass him about Carol. They worked well together after so many months trying to track down the governor. They cleared the place quickly, then started ransacking it. It had been hit before, but there were still a few things worth taking.

They hit each shop in turn, ending with both groups in the middle at a gaming store - board games, not video games. Glenn was overjoyed, and started piling up his favorites, telling anyone who would hold still long enough about each of them. Michonne hit the role playing games, probably looking for something for Carl. The rest of them gathered up more ordinary games, puzzles, dominoes, and decks of cards – everyone at the prison would be thrilled to have something new to entertain them. Daryl suspected it still wouldn't be enough to keep Maggie out of trouble.

He paused thoughtfully at a table of classic board games. Tearing open a Monopoly game, he sifted through the cards until he found what he wanted, tucking it into his pocket for safe keeping.

They gathered their spoils and left the game store to load everything into the vehicles. A light rain was falling as they packed it all up, and by the time they rolled out for home, it had picked up quite a bit. From the look of the sky, they had quite the storm coming – at least they'd gotten done before the bottom fell out. Glenn drove on the way back, and seemed to be lost in his own thoughts for once. The patter of rain on the windshield and the rhythmic swish of the wipers were hypnotic, and Daryl let them soothe him into sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Mikymowse, this gift's for you!**

**Sorry for the delay in getting this (or any other) chapter to you. It's been a rough couple of months, and a very sad week, which makes for difficult writing – especially smut writing. As such, it's a bit shorter and I'm not 100% sure how I feel about it.  
**

**Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own or profit from anything relating to The Walking Dead. **

* * *

By the time they reached the prison gates, the rain was coming down in rippling sheets. They'd driven straight up to the main courtyard and dashed directly inside without trying to bring in any of their spoils. That could wait until the rain let up.

The one exception was the pack Daryl carried with him as he dashed through the deluge to the door. He kept it with him until he reached the C-Block common room. Because of the storm, everyone who could be was inside. Scanning the room, he spotted his target sitting balanced on the two back legs of a straight-backed chair with his feet crossed on a stack of boxes. He was chatting with Hershel and loading rounds into magazines.

Rick looked up as Daryl approached, instinctively reaching out to catch the pack slung his way. He caught the heavy bag and flailed, teetering precariously on the legs of the chair before crashing to the floor with a woof of air knocked from his lungs and the clatter of 9mm rounds raining to the floor around him.

Daryl smirked in satisfaction as Rick groaned and rolled to the side, pushing the pack off his solar plexus. "Hardware. As requested."

Everyone in the room was staring wide-eyed at them, uncertain how to react, until Carl burst into laughter. "Nice one, Dad! Didn't quite stick the landing, though!"

The room erupted in laughter and teasing insults. In the chaos, Daryl quickly checked the room, but Carol wasn't there. He slipped out the door, moving deeper into the prison thinking she might be in the library, since it seemed like she was always there these days. He kind of hoped she was. She'd look pretty amazing backed up against the stacks while they shook the books from the shelves.

But when he arrived, the library was abandoned. Since he was here, though, he thought he might fix up his Monopoly card a little. The rain made him realize the little paper card wouldn't last long without some kind of protection. Rummaging through the drawers in the supply desk, he found a roll of wide, clear packing tape and some safety scissors. Carefully, so as not to create any air bubbles, he sandwiched the card between two pieces of the tape. Then he trimmed the tape down almost to the edges, sealing it in a makeshift lamination. Tossing tape and scissors back into the drawer and tucking the card back in his pocket, he left the library in search of Carol once again.

Taking the back way through the tombs, he slipped into cell block C without passing through the common room again. It still sounded like things were loud and rowdy in there, so he was glad he skipped it. He took the steps two at a time and stopped briefly in his old cell to gather up an armful of things – mostly clothes that had been strewn on the floor and his satchel that contained his whetstone, bow wax, gun oil, and other necessities of their post-apocalyptic life. As he stepped out of the cell, he saw Carol come in from the common room. Looking up, she smiled widely when she saw him.

"You're back!" She seemed so genuinely happy to see him, it made his heart melt a little. Damn, he had it bad.

They met in front of Carol's cell. _Their_ cell. She pushed aside the sheet that hung in the doorway to let him in, then they both stood there a bit awkwardly.

"Where should I...?" He hefted his armload of stuff.

"Oh! Um, anywhere's fine. Why don't we bring everything over, then we can figure out where to put it all."

So he dumped the lot of it in an unceremonious pile in the corner, and they went back to gather up the rest of his things. He really didn't have a whole lot of stuff to speak of – he hadn't been joking about that – so it only took them a couple of trips. After they dropped off the last of it and closed the curtain, Daryl felt oddly uncomfortable, maybe because they'd made the leap to share a cell so quickly or maybe because neither he nor his stuff really had a place yet. But it felt strange to be here, and Carol seemed to be feeling it, too.

"So how was the run?" she asked, reaching for something to ease them back to normal.

"Fine. Glenn was all up in my ass on the way there, but the run went fine."

"You managed to stay dry?"

"We got done before the rain came. Damn good thing, too. Rainin' like a cow pissin' on a flat rock out there now."

She laughed and stepped up to slide her arms around his middle, and everything felt right again. He held her close and tucked his nose against her shoulder. His cock immediately took notice, aroused by her scent and her touch.

She kissed her way along his neck and murmured, "I'm so glad you're back safe."

"Toldja – ain't no way I'm not comin' back to you."

He felt her tense in his arms before she backed away a bit. Her eyes glittered as they fixed intently on his. The fear he'd seen in them this morning was back, along with something else...sorrow? Something that made his chest ache.

"I know. But when you're gone out there? I worry. I can't just take for granted that you'll make it back alive. Every time you come through those gates, I feel like I've flipped heads again, and it's only a matter of time until it comes up tails."

He was surprised at the feeling behind her words. This wasn't just about today. Did she worry this much every time he left the prison? He thought about how it would feel if she were going out there and he were stuck behind the fences to wait for her to return. The very idea sent a wave of anxiety rolling like acid through his gut. Shit. Is that what she felt every time he had to hunt or go on a run?

He pulled her roughly to him, crushing her in a hug. "'M sorry. Didn't realize...didn't think about what that would be like."

She hugged him back just as hard for a moment, then wiggled her way loose, reaching up to put her palms to his face. "It's okay – it's life. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"Promise," he said, leaning down to brush his lips over hers. She accepted his kiss and returned it readily.

Pulling away again, he steered her to the bunk and sat, bringing her to sit next to him.

"I got somethin' for you," he said. He fished the card from his pocket and turned it over in his fingers to look at it. He frowned a little. It seemed kind of dumb now.

Her eyes sparkled up at him. "You did? What is it?"

It suddenly felt like the stupidest thing he'd ever thought of. He sighed a little. What the fuck – too late to back out now. He offered her the little orange card. She took it, looking puzzled.

"A Monopoly card?" Turning it over, she saw the print for the first time and grinned. "Get out of jail free? What's this for?"

He shrugged, feeling like an idiot. "Thought you might like to have it." Fidgeting, he tried to explain. "When I asked if you wanted to go on the run to the preschool the other day, you seemed so happy to get out of this place. I liked bein' able to be the one to take you. Felt like settin' a songbird free."

He could feel her eyes burning into him and squirmed under the scrutiny. He huffed nervously. "Guess we're more like jailbirds, though, huh?"

She clutched the little card in her hands, but didn't say anything. She just..._looked_ at him.

His gut churned, but he just kept on talking like a dumbass. "Thought it might remind you that you ain't stuck here. Any time you wanna get away, just say so – we can get the hell outta Dodge for a while. Go on a run. Go check snares. Shit, if you wanna learn, I can take you hunting. It's nice out in the woods, if you don't think too much about the damn walkers..."

He trailed off finally. Carol was still looking at him, but he'd never seen her look quite like this before, and he wasn't sure what to make of it.

"...Carol?"

Finally, she dropped her eyes down to the orange card in her hands. He thought distantly that it was good he'd taped it up because she'd be crushing the shit out of it otherwise. When she looked back up at him, her eyes were wide and wet. Her face crinkled up a little, as though she were having trouble getting words out.

"Thank you, Daryl," she whispered. "This is the sweetest, most thoughtful thing anyone's ever given me."

"It is?" A weight lifted from him, knowing she didn't think it was stupid.

She nodded, beaming up at him, her face pink and her eyes a luminous blue. Turning to the nightstand, she carefully propped it up against her books, on display as though it were the most valuable thing in the world. Turning back, she hesitated, then asked, "Can we go tomorrow?"

He blinked. "Go where?"

"Out hunting? I'd like to learn."

"'Course we can." He'd take her surfing in California if that's where she wanted to go.

She reached out to trail her fingers slowly along the buttons of his shirt, fiddling with each one. Then her gaze flicked back up to his face. "You love me."

It wasn't a question, but he answered her anyway. "Yes."

"Show me," she said, her eyes soft and full of longing. "Make love to me."

He glanced back to the curtain that gave only the vaguest illusion of privacy. "It don't bother you that people might hear?"

"I'll be quiet," she whispered. "Show me how much you love me. Please?"

If he had a thousand years, he couldn't show her how much, but he'd do his damnedest. With a hand at the back of her neck, he pulled her in for a gentle kiss, letting himself sink into the experience – savoring each movement, every meeting of their lips, every sweep of their tongues. He took his time, exploring all the different curves and textures, feeling the warm and humid mingling of their breaths. His other hand drifted up, his thumb under her jaw, his fingers splayed against her throat, feeling the beat of her pulse there.

She made no sound, so he had to look for other cues to read her responses. A slight deepening of breath, tiny twitches and shivers he felt in her skin, flutters in her heartbeat, subtle changes in pressure as she leaned into the touches she liked. It was like discovering a new language, a new way to communicate. It made something as simple as a kiss feel incredibly intimate.

He pushed into her space, leaning her back onto the thin pillow, bracing with one arm while he scooped her up and over to the middle of the mattress. Easing himself down, he covered her body with his own, their legs tangled together, stretched out behind them. He moved his mouth to her throat, searching out her heartbeat with his tongue. It fluttered against the sensitive skin of his lips, and he paused to appreciate the fact that she was here with him, warm and _alive_. He couldn't take that for granted, either.

Gently, he bit down at the crook of her neck, letting his teeth scrape over skin, but not hard enough to bruise. He could feel her silent gasp of breath, and her arms tightened around him. Nipping her with his lips, he worked back up to her ear, where he knew she was so responsive. She shifted under him when he took her earlobe in his teeth and ran his tongue over it. Her breathing deepened as he suckled it, and her fingers dug in where she clutched his back.

Releasing her earlobe to kiss along her jaw, he brushed his fingers over her cheek and caressed her lower lip with the flat of his thumb. Her lips were full and pink from his kisses. She had such a beautiful mouth, a little crooked and quick to smile – so expressive, whether it was in humor, joy, or love. He loved her mouth.

Ducking down again, he kissed along her collarbone, tracing it with his fingers and pulling the neck of her shirt out of the way. When he'd sampled all the skin he could reach there, he slid himself down her body to her waist. He pushed the hem of her shirt up, baring most of her belly to him. With his fingers spread wide, he caressed the skin there – mostly smooth, but marred with scars here and there. He slid his hand up and around, grazing the bottom of her breasts and gliding across her ribs. She was thin. Her belly was flat and hollowed out a bit, leaving a gap between her skin and her waistband as it spanned her sharp hipbones. There was muscle there, but nothing extra. Her ribs slid beneath her skin as she breathed, and he could feel the rippling shape of them under his fingers. She was beautiful, but it made worry for her prickle and itch in his mind. Daryl needed to take care of her by making sure Carol took care of herself.

He kissed her just below the navel and leaned on his elbows to unfasten her belt and pants, laying open the zipper to give him more skin to taste. Wiggling his fingers under the elastic of her underwear, he tugged her clothes down a bit. He ran his tongue from hipbone to hipbone, sweeping down in an arc along the very edge of exposed skin, making her belly twitch and her breath catch.

Moving farther down, he sat at the end of the bunk to pick up a foot to remove her boot and sock. She propped herself up on her elbows to watch him. Once her foot was bare, he brushed the back of one finger along the delicate arch while the other hand cupped her ankle. He kissed her instep and ran his tongue in the hollow just behind the anklebone, being careful not to tickle. After a quick caress of her calf, he lowered her foot back to the mattress and repeated the process with her other foot.

Her shining eyes stayed on him the whole time. He scooted up to sit at the edge of the mattress about halfway up, sliding his hand up her leg as he went. He gave her hip a quick squeeze, then pulled her to sit up, too. Dropping his head to her neck, he nuzzled all along her throat while his hands worked their way up under her shirt. Her arms wound around his neck, and she leaned into his touch. Raising his head again, he stripped her shirt off and tossed it to the floor behind him. She sat forward to allow him to unhook her bra, then pulled it off and dropped it to join her shirt on the floor.

He let his eyes and hands wander briefly over her beautiful breasts, while she undid the buttons on his shirt. When she was done, he shrugged it off. Once they were both shirtless, he pushed her with one hand to her chest, back against the pillow again. He didn't let her settle, though, before slipping an arm around her waist to flip her onto her belly. She looked back at him over her shoulder, then folded her arms under her cheek with a smile. She really had no idea how fucking sexy she was, which just made him want her more.

He nipped at her ear while he slung one leg across her to straddle her ass. He held himself over her with one hand while the other skimmed leisurely over the skin of her shoulders and back. She sighed softly at the long, slow strokes massaging her back and the tickle of his scruffy chin on her neck. Palming her waist, he began working his way down with his mouth, exploring her body thoroughly with long licks and little nibbles. Sometimes he just hovered and breathed her in, letting her scent fire his arousal.

When he reached the small of her back, he tugged her loosened pants down to sit just above her ass so he could explore the delicious curves there. He let his fingertips swirl over and around, dipping in and swelling out to trace her shape. When he finally couldn't stand it anymore, he filled the dip of her spine with the flat of his tongue and licked, then bit down on the rise of long muscle flexing alongside it. She shivered as his teeth closed on her.

Rocking back to sit on his heels, he hooked his fingers into the waistband of her pants and pulled. She lifted up so he could slide them and her panties down over her hips. Shifting to one side, he picked up her feet to free her from the tangle of clothes, leaving her perfectly, beautifully naked.

He took a quick moment to shed his own pants. After they were both naked, he started with one ankle and caressed and nuzzled his way up her leg, hands spread wide over her skin. As he reached her upper thigh, his own breathing increased along with hers as her body began to wind up tight. With a nip to the middle of her cheek, he moved back down again to give the same treatment to her other leg. When he reached the top of her thigh, he moved to straddle her legs again, palming each leg just under the curve of her ass. He pushed his thumbs down between her thighs and kneaded her, his own breath hitching as he found her already wet enough that her inner thighs were slick. He squeezed and lifted her cheeks, thumbs digging into her flesh.

Unable to resist any longer, he planted one hand flat on the bunk and slipped the other between her legs, sliding back and forth through her soaked folds. She arched under him and pressed back against his hand, silently begging him to give her more. He dragged his fingers over the hard nub of her clit, then pushed his middle and ring fingers deep inside her, leaving his first finger to rub against her clit. A tiny squeak escaped her when he penetrated, but then she went quiet again. The only sounds were of their breathing and the rustling of bedding as they moved. Shifting one knee forward to take his weight, he pumped his fingers into her as his other hand slipped beneath her body to seek out her breasts to pinch and roll her nipples. She tensed and squirmed under him, her eyes closed and mouth open as she breathed little short breaths.

Reaching further under her, he gripped her around the waist. Pulling his fingers from her abruptly, he flipped her over again so she was on her back between his legs. Bracing himself on one arm again, he met her heated eyes and put his slick fingers into his mouth, slowly sucking them clean. Her hands were clenched into the blanket beside her, and she writhed as she watched him, squeezing her thighs together. After he pulled his fingers from his mouth, he wedged one knee between hers and pushed his thigh up against her. His cock throbbed as he pressed it into her belly, leaving its own slick spot of pre-cum. He rocked his body into her, grinding his thigh into her pussy and his dick against her stomach. Her hands found his shoulders, nails digging in as she struggled to stay quiet. She closed her eyes tightly and pressed her lips together, breathing hard through her nose.

He kept up the rocking until her eyes flew open to meet his. She gasped once, then bit down on her lips to keep from crying out, but her eyes stayed on him. He grabbed her knee and pulled it up, pinning her bent leg under his arm, then shifted his hips to let his cock slide along her clit, then through her wet folds to find her entrance. He drove into her as her body strained against him and started to shudder. She clawed her way closer to him until her head rested in the crook of his shoulder, and she bit down hard there, stifling the whimpers that were trying to bubble out. Her walls clenched down on him as she shook, and he thrust into her hard and fast until he came with her, cock pulsing, pumping his cum into her. He bit back the groan that came with his release, but couldn't stop the grunting, shuddering breaths.

When they finally went slack, Daryl rolled them so she lay on his chest, both of them sweating and breathing heavily. He wrapped his arms around her, turning his head so his words whispered across her ear.

"Carol Peletier, I ain't ever known anyone like you before. You're smart, fierce, funny, sassy as hell, and so fuckin' sexy I can't even think about you without gettin' hard, and that _ain't_ a recent development, by the way."

She choked back a laugh and turned to look back at him with twinkling eyes. He smoothed her hair back over the ear he'd been whispering in and met her gaze openly. It wasn't as hard as he would have thought it should be.

"I never had nothin' in this world, before or after the Turn, that I ever wanted more'n I want you. Ain't nothin' more important to me, nothin' I love more. The end of the world?" He shook his head. "It was the beginning of mine."

Suddenly she was looking at him with that expression again – the one from before. But this time he knew what to make of it, and it made him happy.

Instead of a whisper, the words came as a rumble from deep in his chest. "Love you, jailbird."

She smiled softly. "I love you, too."


End file.
